A11

Kevin Steen

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Anyone who remembers the 1980's probably also remembers the violence endured by Nicaraguans under the semi-socialist Sandinista government. (Does the phrase "Iran-Contra affair" ring any bells?)

Like Africa, the commodity-based economies of Central and South America have suffered through decades, even centuries of political unrest and civil war. Nicaragua is no exception.

As a coffee growing country, the guerrilla warfare of the contras against the Sandinistas decimated the coffee industry through the eighties and early nineties. By 1990, coffee production dropped to a mere 600,000 bags from more than one million in the 1970's, prior to the revolution.

Since that time free market reforms have attempted to improve the country's economic situation. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, carrying enormous foreign debt and massive unemployment. As in other third-world countries, many children work for low wages on banana and coffee plantations and wander as street vendors in the cities.

Despite the grim pictures painted in library reference books, there is a glimmer of light, and it has a Canadian connection.

Aroma Nica is a coffee importing company founded by Reynaldo Fiallo, a third generation coffee grower in Nicaragua, and his two daughters who are based in Canada. Fiallo grows four varieties of Arabica on his family farm in the Las Sabanas region.

The beans are imported directly to Canadian roasters in British Columbia, Ontario, Newfoundland, and our own local supplier, Down East Coffee Roasters from Notre Dame.

Fiallo's community of producers use traditional growing methods. They still utilize oxen and horses for transportation and hand-pick and sort the coffee cherries. This community is a positive picture of sustainable development, assisted in large part by a Canadian charitable organization called Los Frutos Del Café (The Fruits of Coffee.)

Established by Fiallo's daughters, the organization raises money to relieve poverty and preserve the environment of Central American communities. Among other projects, they've helped to build a pre-school and a high school in Las Sabanas, among other projects.

These are pivotal developments in a country where economic realities force children to abandon school to find work.

When you purchase Aroma Nica coffee from participating Canadian coffee shops and roasters, a portion of the sales are donated to Los Frutos del Café, which in turn helps fund social and educational projects.

Isn't it exciting to see what people can accomplish when they're given the means and the opportunity?

* Kevin Steen is a true coffee lover and proprietor of Damascus Coffee House in Riverview. Do you have a coffee question for Kevin? Visit him at the shop, or call him at 855-4646.