An introduction to the Mairena family, the backbone of Cooperative La Hermandad, a group of coffee producers living and working in the highlands of Nicaragua; this will be the first in an ongoing series:
Meet Cooperativa La Hermandad
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The Mairena family poses with WVU's first visiting
student group atthe entrance to the farm, May 2012 |
In English, "La Hermandad" signifies "The Brotherhood/Sisterhood"; it is an appropriate title for this cooperative of coffee producers, which is largely comprised of the Mairena siblings and their spouses. I met La Hermandad two years ago through my work with Fair Trade 2.0 of West Virginia University. In that time, I have built a lasting friendship with cooperative members, and have the great fortune of always being welcomed "home" to their farm with open arms and a hot cup of
cafe con leche.
Though I in time I have come to see the members of the Mairena family for all their humanity and imperfection, they remain for me a group of truly inspiring individuals: war survivors and former combatants, political activists, philosophers, single moms, and trained professionals, many of whom made a four hour round trip on foot each day to receive their secondary education. Each of the Mairena siblings overcame a background of grinding poverty, raised by an illiterate single mother whose indigenous family had been robbed of their land in the Somoza years.
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The family sits down for a meal on the
farm during Holy Week 2013 |
Doña Juana Mairena and her children have worked harder than many of us can imagine to find themselves still fighting for a measure of security in the tumultuous world of export commodity production. Some are idealists, others staunch realists, but all share a passion for the common values implied by the idea of brotherhood. These are values such as being generous with wealth and knowledge, finding common ground with individuals of varying origins, welcoming guests as family, and treating the earth as a single mother who deserves the love and respect of us all.
Finca La Hermandad
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| Coffee field on the farm |
La Hermandad's farm is situated in the Dariense mountain range that runs northwest of the city of Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
Finca La Hermandad is the beating heart of the cooperative: their main source of both income and inspiration. About half of the farm is comprised of orchards sporting coffee trees of several varieties as well as fruit-bearing shade trees. The other half is a pristine cloud forest reserve that is home to an immeasurable wealth of flora and fauna, including several varieties of orchids, toucans, strangler figs, wild cats, and a regal clan of
monocongos, or howler monkeys.
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A couple members of the howler
monkey clan |
In my first meeting with La Hermandad in May 2010, they created for me a beautiful image of the dream they had for the farm. It would be a center for education and environmental protection, where locals and foreigners alike could come to study the abundance of natural life and learn from cooperative members about Nicaragua's rich indigenous and revolutionary history, as well as the basics of sustainable coffee production and organic agriculture. It would have a telescope, they said, where local school children could come to study the stars in the tradition of their indigenous ancestors, and would be a site for community meetings and development. It would be a place to share ideas and realize collective social projects.
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View of the Dariense mountains from
the farm's highest overlook |
Since then, I have worked with the coop as they move toward this vision, little by little. My role has been very small, as have the relative steps toward making La Hermandad's dream a reality. As former president Sebastian has said, however, they are a cooperative risen from the ashes of civil war and economic strife. Each step, each new relationship, is therefore considered a blessing.
In the coming months, I will be posting a series concerning the lessons I have learned in my time working and spending time with La Hermandad. Some lessons are simple, others more profound. But all have been formative in my understanding of Nicaragua, its people, and its path to development.
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