For the first time in over 20 years, the coffee harvest has begun in Las Sabanas… in November.
An early harvest has been brought on by a combination of good rains and optimal weather for the coffee to begin maturing early. While it is exciting to know that the harvest has begun and that in a matter of months our new harvest will arrive here in Canada, it doesn’t go without mentioning some of the challenges that are being faced at the farm. At the farm level, they have seen an increase in costs and other inputs related to keeping operations running as they should. Diesel fuel for pulping, wage increase incentives for labourers, fertilizers, everything has increased across the board to reach an overall increase in costs of 21.5%. Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen the costs of most things increase while also witnessing a labour shortage that is being felt globally. This inevitably has an effect on the overall cost of production, and the cost that is felt at the end of the supply chain on the consumer. Coffee prices are currently experiencing an all-time high, and this is due to a myriad of factors across the global coffee market that will see this 2022 harvest as one of the priciest on record.
From increased costs at the farm level to a monumental surge in freight prices, we have begun taking all these factors into play when settling on a price that is sustainable and profitable for our growers. Who need not bear the weight of this economic moment in coffee pricing so that they can continue the amazing work they do to produce fantastic coffee well beyond this moment and into the future. Nicaraguan coffee and its producers have proven time and time again that if there’s anything they have a knack for, its resiliency and optimism.