#83 | Assessing and Addressing Profitability Constraints from Smallholder Coffee Producers in Yepocapa, Guatemala | Expo Lectures 2019

Specialty Coffee Association Podcast

Hundreds of smallholder coffee farmers in Yepocapa, Guatemala have experienced leaf-rust, drought, volcanic eruptions, and price fluctuations over the last few years. Profitability is the main constraint these farmers face, in maintaining healthy households and addressing price issues and other shocks - much like many other smallholder coffee farmers around the world.

Since 2015, Taya Brown has been conducting a multi-phase evaluation of constraints to technology uptake and profitability as part of a World Coffee Research development project that implemented the Centroamericano hybrid to address leaf-rust and low productivity. During a similar timeframe, Ryan Chipman founded Yepocapa Coffee, a US-based coffee importing enterprise focused on improving quality and transparency by becoming a direct link between US roasters and a cooperative of Yepocapa farmers.

In today’s lecture, Taya shares a profitability analysis for one farmer group. Ryan builds on this to share how his business is learning to identify and address the various factors in profitability. Both present examples of site-specific scientific investigation, focused on participatory and farmer-centric methods, to identify profitability constraints and guide response efforts.

Special Thanks to Softengine Coffee One, Powered by SAP

This episode of the Expo 2019 Lectures podcast is supported by Softengine Coffee One, Powered by SAP. Built upon SAP's business-leading Enterprise Resource Planning solution, Softengine Coffee One is designed specifically to quickly and easily take your small-to-medium coffee company working at any point along the coffee chain to the next level of success. Learn more about Softengine Coffee One at softengine.com, with special pricing available for SCA Members. Softengine: the most intelligent way to grow your business.

Related Links

• Follow along with Taya and Ryan's slides
• Read a full transcript of this episode on SCA News
• Listen to other episodes of the SCA Podcast
• Learn more about the upcoming 2020 Lecture Series at the Specialty Coffee Expo
• Read more about another study in farmer profitability in Issue 11 of 25

Episode Table of Contents

0:00 Introduction
2:40 The results of the profitability analysis of the Eca Montellano Cooperative
22:42 Ryan Chipman’s work analyzing how San Pedrana Cooperative’s cost of living and size of production affect farmer profitability and risk
47:00 Audience Questions
59:00 Outro

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