Feeding Children in the Olopa, Guatemala Coffee Farming Community

Crimson Cup has committed $3,000 to feed children in the remote coffee farming community of Olopa, Guatemala. Our donation to Save the Children will fund nutritious meals for 300 children, reducing their need to work to support their families instead of attending school.

“Over the past three years, our direct trade relationship with the Olopa community and its Asociacion de Productores de Café de Olopa (Apolo) coffee co-op made us aware that child labor and childhood hunger were significant issues,” said Founder and President Greg Ubert. “We are excited to make this commitment through our Friend2Farmer program to ensure that the children of the 64 families supported by the co-op are well fed and have the opportunity to attend school instead of working.”

In 2015, Crimson Cup became the first U.S. coffee roaster to visit Olopa, a remote municipality in the Chiquimula department of Guatemala. Two years later, we signed a three-year purchase agreement with the Apolo co-op.

“Instability in the coffee market was leading some co-op members to consider abandoning the crop that had been their livelihood for over 80 years,” said Coffee Buyer Dave Eldridge.  “Our three-year commitment to purchase coffee at above-market prices has helped give coffee growers the confidence and cash flow they need to invest in agricultural improvements and their local community.”

Despite Crimson Cup’s increased support through coffee buying, however, children in the community still needed to work in the fields to help support their families. Crimson Cup’s donation will help address this problem by supporting Save the Children and its partners in establishing Comprehensive Care Centers to provide care, healthy meals and education of about 300 local children.