The Audacity of hope. Part 2

We went on to taste a selection of coffees from the Co-operative that had been prepared for us. It transpired that 2 of the lots were being imported by our green coffee suppliers into the UK. Hopefully one of them will end up in Jersey to complete the circle.

We were given a tour of the factory which right now is processing the harvest. Every available space has either got coffee waiting to be de-hulled or of coffee being sorted. Twenty or thirty women sit in various parts of the factory either grading or sorting coffee one bean at a time. It’s an extraordinary site. On top of this there are small children running around as the factory doubles as a crèche facility. Well if all you get is the equivalent of $7 for every 45 kilos you sort and you might sort 90 kilos in a day, that doesn’t leave much room for child care. Do I feel horrified, I’m not sure? They all seem to understand that there is a bigger vision. That if they do a good job their coffee will taste great (and it does) which in turn will improve their collective livelihoods. Hope reigns eternal. Although there are a number of hired hands a number of the sorters are producers gaining additional income after harvest has finished. It is an extraordinary collective effort of will and determination.

One of the concerns I raised in a previous blog was the fact that there appeared to be a generational loss of coffee farmers to the city lights. I put this to Evaristo and got a response that surprised me. He said that it was the case for his generation. He was encouraged by his parents to leave the farm, however this was not the case today. He told me that now the reason a lot of young people left was to get a better education, something not available in the countryside. He also said that in his time people who worked in the countryside were seen as second class citizens by those who worked in the city. This attitude was changing because of the efforts of their President, Evo Morales. He is encouraging Bolivians to remember their heritage and to be proud of it. This includes learning indigenous languages at school and giving equal respect to those who work in the countryside. I’m conscious that he is a controversial President but if what he is achieving makes Bolivians proud of their efforts and in turn reduces poverty then that should be applauded. It was just a shame that I couldn’t interview the President himself for a first-hand account.

Bolivia has some way to go but with the kind of vision I’ve seen and the sacrifices they are seemingly prepared to make they deserve all the support they can get.