CQI collaborated with Equal Origins to invite participants from 8 Honduran coffee cooperatives to attend CQI’s two-day Good Practices for Post-Harvest Processing class and a one-day sensory evaluation class organized by IHCAFE. This initiative was made possible by funding from the CQI Global Coffee Fund along with support from Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS), the Lavazza Foundation and IHCAFE. The group consisted of 15 women producers and 6 male producers who have been working with Equal Origins over the past year to develop and implement comprehensive Gender Equity Development Plans for their organizations. They were joined by 4 field technicians from HRNS.
The overall goals of the training program included:
· Strengthen the cooperatives’ Gender Equity Development Plans.
· Develop communications points with the PO representatives about their commitment to gender equity and quality processing.
· Prepare the groups to advocate for their plans with potential buyers and industry allies at the upcoming Producer Roaster Forum in San Pedro Sula and beyond.
· Gain a clear grasp of good practices in post-harvest processing and understand how the results of sensory evaluation are linked to processing outcomes.
With their new skills in post-harvest processing and sensory evaluation, participants can assist their cooperatives to improve their coffee quality to access better and more diverse markets. Equal Origins' support for these cooperatives and their Gender Equity Development Plans will ensure that all participants who’ve obtained this additional capacity will be able to contribute to the growth and development of their cooperative and their market access. CQI would also like to highlight the fact that five organizations came together to contribute to this successful activity for Honduran coffee producers. Our gratitude for the engagement of Equal Origins, HRNS, the Lavazza Foundation and IHCAFE, whose contributions added depth and value to this 3 day gathering.
Equal Origins and CQI are inviting interested roaster allies to join a special session on April 22nd, 2025 at 11:00 am to hear from these organizations about their efforts and commitment to improved quality and increased opportunities for women farmers in their organizations.
Burundi Better Coffee Initiative (BBCI) – USDA, TechnoServe, CQI
The USDA funded BBCI project implemented by TechnoServe organized two CQI quality evaluation courses in Burundi this quarter. A Q Cupping Essentials course was organized in early February for 23 students and a Q Arabica Combo course was held early in March for 10 full time students and 11 retakes. Participants had received coaching sessions for the QCE, with several students benefiting from these sessions before undertaking the full Q Course. These trainings offered students additional opportunities to refine their skills ahead of the program which could become a good practice for future courses when possible. All learners have gained skills and understand fully the CQI protocols and processes.
