PROCESS OF SUSTAINABLE COFFEE MATAGALPA / NICARAGUA

Course the be held in four farms where different processes of sustainable coffee have been implemented and where you can observe that a coffee farm can coexist in perfect harmony with the environment of a wet tropical forest.
The objective of the course is:
-To learn the necessary procedures to obtain sustainable coffee, from planting, and both wet and dry processing to the final selection and sorting of the coffee beans
-Participate as a worker together with the farm workers during harvesting of cherries. Differentiate between the various defects present in the green coffee and their causes, prejudices they cause.
-Know the procedures for recycling the coffee sub-products, benefits for the environment and workers of the farm.
-When you are in the coffee-producing areas, you will become aware of the concerns, and opinions, of the people who suffer the greatest problems in the extensive chain of coffee production
-To create a meeting point between producers and European professionals to exchange knowledge and understandings of the problems in both worlds
-Sensibilizar a los que vivimos de este producto las grandes diferencias que existen entre los “cafés de finca” y los cafes comerciales.

The course will last one week.
OBJECTIVE: better prepared professionals – builds up much confidence among clients.

DaysTopics
ArrivalArrival in Managua on agreed day – welcome by personnel of our organization. Transport to the hotel, informal get-together of all participants. Dinner at leisure.
Day 106.00 h Breakfast.  6.45 h departure, microbus, transport to Matagalpa – approx. 1.30h. Check in Hotel Saint Thomas. Transport to Finca Santa Emilia, lunch. Visit the lodgings of temporary workers employed during harvest season. Transport to Finca Campinas. Witness the work carried out by the School on the farm. Coffee pipeline” how does it work and what is it used for. Return to Hotel, dinner.
Day 206 h Breakfast. 06.45 h transport to Finca Las Nubes. First stages of the development of the coffee trees and the advantages of shade planting, also the benefits of the conservation of fauna and the protection of the environment in general. Differentiate between the various defects present in the coffee plant and their causes. Observe the different stages of how the coffee tree growths. Best moment for harvesting, participate as a worker with workers of the farm. Count the coffee. Lunch at the KIOSKO of the farm. Transport to the hotel and dinner at Restaurante Las Praderas
Day 307 h Breakfast. 07.45 h Transport to Finca La Alianza. Learn the whole wet process of coffee– arrival of the cherries, pulping, sorting according to ripeness, fermentation, washing for mucilage removal, Packing of the wet parchment, quality control in the farm’s laboratory. Lunch at the wet-processing plant. With an ecologist procedures for recycling  of water recycling of the bi-products from the wet processing of coffee use of bio digesters for production of methane gas for cooking, to stop the people from cutting down the threes for cooking food. Transport to the Hotel and dinner..
Day 407 h Breakfast. 07.45 Transport to the dry-processing plant. Drying process, various coffee sorting processes, bagging for export. Lunch. Cupping in the laboratory, explanation by the cupper and Director of the wet and dry processor – Don Carlos Barreto. Transport to the hotel, dinner at 21.00 h at the Bar Artesano in Matagalpa – typical dinner with “boquitas” (tapas).
Day 5Morning free - sightseeing and shopping.  14.00 h demonstrations will be given by our participants, this is voluntarily, but this is your chance to give knowledge back to the community, we have invited the food service personnel from Matagalpa, to come and learn what we do in our part of the world. Dinner at a restaurant in Matagalpa, with entertainment by Matagalpa musicians. Last night at Hotel. Those who wish to extend their stay in Nicaragua must make this known to us at the time of booking the course.  Advisement to extend your visit to other tourist destinations in Nicaragua can be given.
Day 6Flight back.