My
name is Lisa Armstrong. I am a registered nurse
and am the administrator of the non-government organization
Fellow Man International of Honduras. Nearly all of the clients of the Fellow Man clinic are
coffee field workers. Low coffee prices have forced local
producers to pay less than living wages to their workers in
order for the coffee farms to survive. Green Parrot Coffee
was created with some very specific goals in mind: to
achieve self-sufficiency for the Fellow Man International
medical clinic and agriculture project, to provide direct
access to the U.S. coffee market by paying fair green coffee
prices directly to the Paz family and other local producers
who are committed to providing living wages to their field
workers with eventual profit sharing and finally to
encourage economic development of the mission's service
area, eliminating the need for child labor and encouraging
education. It is my charge to ensure that we of Green Parrot
coffee never forget the real purpose of this labor of love,
to bring hope and promise through fair trade and living
wages to those of this mountain who are in need.
Rene
and Teresa Suazo are no strangers to the plight of the poor
of Honduras. Rene was born and raised in Tegucigalpa,
Honduras. He attended Kansas State University where he met
his wife Teresa. Shortly after their marriage in 1990, Rene
and Teresa moved to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. However, after
two short years, they made the very difficult decision to
move back to the United States. They recognized the future
of their two children was at stake. Not wishing to expose
their children to the violence and insecurity Honduras posed
at that time, they chose to make their final home in Ft.
Collins, Colorado where their two sons Lucas and Zac could
attend a bilingual grade school integrating the best of each
of their parent's two cultures. Rene and Teresa
agree regarding their part in the distribution of Green
Parrot Coffee. It is a family affair born out of a desire to
help.
Rene said regarding Teresa's and his
decision to distribute Green Parrot Coffee,
"THIS is something I can do for my
people".
IHCAFE
- Instituto Hondureño de Café
(Honduran Coffee Institute) has been exceptionally generous
to Green Parrot Coffee. The Institute's field
agronomist has provided technical advice and services to the
many small coffee producers in our area regarding every
aspect of coffee production. Themes discussed this
year were: proper harvesting and handling of
coffee cherries, processing techniques such as fermentation,
washing and selection, drying of "washed coffee" and even
biological control of pests. Thanks to IHCAFE's
cupping laboratory, every producer who wished to participate
had the opportunity to have their coffee "cupped" and
certified. The results of the certification program
yielded coffees with scores corresponding to
high grown and strictly high grown qualities. So unique is
Green Parrot Coffee's approach to coffee purchase, direct
market access and community development, that the Institute
is using our program as a "pilot project". Never
before have producers been offered the opportunity to sell
their coffee for prices based on quality. This year,
Green Parrot is also helping local producers prepare the
best of their crop for the Annual Excellence Cup. The
Institute's cupping laboratory identified several producers
with extremely high quality coffees who could compete for a
place in July's electronic auction. Prices paid
through the Institute's Excellence Cup are significantly
higher than local market prices and also call attention to
the individual achievements of producers who strive for only
the best!
Quality
from start to finish...living wages and profit sharing from
beginning to end. One of the greatest challenges
Green Parrot Coffee faces is ensuring that all who are
involved in the production of our coffee reap the financial
benefits of the harvest, each according to his/her
contribution. Not only do land owners/producers
receive a fair price for their coffee, but must sign a
covenant agreement with Green Parrot to pay living wages to
the field workers as well as share profits. Our philosophy
is that each contributor to our coffee's quality should be
fairly compensated. This is a group effort.
Every part of the process is key in bringing the finest cup
of coffee to the consumer. We are eternally grateful to you
for your support of this labor of love!
My
name is Lisa Armstrong. I am a registered nurse
and am the administrator of the non-government organization
Fellow Man International of Honduras. Nearly all of the clients of the Fellow Man clinic are
coffee field workers. Low coffee prices have forced local
producers to pay less than living wages to their workers in
order for the coffee farms to survive. Green Parrot Coffee
was created with some very specific goals in mind: to
achieve self-sufficiency for the Fellow Man International
medical clinic and agriculture project, to provide direct
access to the U.S. coffee market by paying fair green coffee
prices directly to the Paz family and other local producers
who are committed to providing living wages to their field
workers with eventual profit sharing and finally to
encourage economic development of the mission's service
area, eliminating the need for child labor and encouraging
education. It is my charge to ensure that we of Green Parrot
coffee never forget the real purpose of this labor of love,
to bring hope and promise through fair trade and living
wages to those of this mountain who are in need.
Rene
and Teresa Suazo are no strangers to the plight of the poor
of Honduras. Rene was born and raised in Tegucigalpa,
Honduras. He attended Kansas State University where he met
his wife Teresa. Shortly after their marriage in 1990, Rene
and Teresa moved to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. However, after
two short years, they made the very difficult decision to
move back to the United States. They recognized the future
of their two children was at stake. Not wishing to expose
their children to the violence and insecurity Honduras posed
at that time, they chose to make their final home in Ft.
Collins, Colorado where their two sons Lucas and Zac could
attend a bilingual grade school integrating the best of each
of their parent's two cultures. Rene and Teresa
agree regarding their part in the distribution of Green
Parrot Coffee. It is a family affair born out of a desire to
help. 
IHCAFE
- 
high grown and strictly high grown qualities. So unique is
Green Parrot Coffee's approach to coffee purchase, direct
market access and community development, that the Institute
is using our program as a "pilot project". Never
before have producers been offered the opportunity to sell
their coffee for prices based on quality. This year,
Green Parrot is also helping local producers prepare the
best of their crop for the Annual Excellence Cup. The
Institute's cupping laboratory identified several producers
with extremely high quality coffees who could compete for a
place in July's electronic auction. Prices paid
through the Institute's Excellence Cup are significantly
higher than local market prices and also call attention to
the individual achievements of producers who strive for only
the best! 
Quality
from start to finish...living wages and profit sharing from
beginning to end. One of the greatest challenges
Green Parrot Coffee faces is ensuring that all who are
involved in the production of our coffee reap the financial
benefits of the harvest, each according to his/her
contribution. Not only do land owners/producers
receive a fair price for their coffee, but must sign a
covenant agreement with Green Parrot to pay living wages to
the field workers as well as share profits. Our philosophy
is that each contributor to our coffee's quality should be
fairly compensated. This is a group effort.
Every part of the process is key in bringing the finest cup
of coffee to the consumer. We are eternally grateful to you
for your support of this labor of love!