BOSTON, May 14, 2020 – A recent study developed by students at Sattler College in Boston will help increase the impact of a unique farmer inclusion model developed by Asociación Pueblos en Acción Comunitaria (PAC), a Nicaraguan organization and member of Partners Worldwide’s global network that’s changing the fortunes of 750+ poor coffee and cacao farmers in rural Nicaragua.

According to the new study “Third Wave Coffee Market Strategy for PAC, a Nicaraguan Farm Coop,” a new market strategy has the potential to increase PAC’s impact to 750+ farmers and their income, leveraging PAC’s inclusion model, which has proven to be capable of doubling annual farm incomes in five years as a result of technical support, training, access to capital and connections to the global market.

“This strategy has the potential to revolutionize the profitability of PAC farmers by helping them shift from a commodity market model to directly selling to coffee roasters specializing in ‘Third Wave’ artisan coffee,” said Professor of Business at Sattler College Dr. William J. Oliver. “Following the new strategy that will implement a special selling team and partnerships with U.S. brokers and importers, PAC is already capturing their farmers’ families’ success stories through videos, creating visibility around their farmers traceability method, engaging Partners Worldwide’s volunteers on implementing the strategy to grow PAC’s customer base and more.”

The Sattler students’ market strategy builds on 12 years of work invested by PAC developing farmers to increase productivity, sustainability and quality.  PAC’s coaching and technical support methods have allowed the farms’ coffee to gain Fair Trade, UTZ/Rainforest, and Starbucks’ C.A.F.E. Practices certifications and delivers an average cupping score of 83.  Such high-quality beans allow Third Wave roasters to give coffee a focus that wine, cheese and chocolate have had for years.  At the core of the new strategy, PAC can guarantee 100% traceability and tell roasters where the beans were grown, down to which part of an individual farm.

“Beyond increasing their profits, PAC farmers can, through this strategy, sustain a long-standing relationship with their consumers, who will become part of the miracle of coffee drinkers raising hundreds of families out of poverty,” said Oliver. “This innovation on behalf of our Sattler students is achieving the kinds of goals for which we have trained them: to make a positive impact around the world, making inroads for a better tomorrow for every individual of every background.”

About Sattler College

Sattler College is located in the heart of Boston. Founded in 2016 by Dr. Finny Kuruvilla, former research fellow at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Sattler is named after Michael Sattler, a martyr for the early Anabaptist church in the 1500s. In commemoration of his legacy, Sattler seeks to raise up a generation of scholars who love the church and know the Bible.

About Asociación Pueblos en Acción Comunitaria (PAC)

PAC is a cooperative of family farms in rural Nicaragua, producing coffee, cacao and honey. They promote sustainable development in areas with a long tradition and productive potential. Its vision is to strengthen the capacity for the generation of knowledge and technology aimed at the creation of technically and financially sustainable rural business platforms. The business platforms promoted by the organization include more than 750 small and medium producers, connecting them with globalized markets. Its area of incidence includes more than one hundred communities that are located in the North Central and North Segovia zones of Nicaragua, areas of great agro-ecological importance due to their productive potential and their relevance in our environmental environment. To achieve its goals, PAC is partnered with Partners Worldwide and Kiva. To implement the new market strategy, PAC is actively seeking additional alliances with roasters, direct trade investors, importers and any other strategic partners that can help continue to connect coffee growers in Nicaragua with global coffee drinkers.

Presentation to APAC

Header image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay