Matagalpa, Nicaragua 

Matagalpa is located in north central Nicaragua near the continental divide between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. This region is increasingly popular with ecotourists because of its beauty and biodiversity. Originally it was home to the Matagalpa Indians whose language was spoken until 1875. This fertile area is known for its great coffee, vegetables, and flowers.

Our farmers are paid dry equivalent rate of $2.37/kg for fresh wet babba (cacao seeds/beans) in a local market that paid $1.53/kg for dried unfermented beans – an increase of 55% without the added labor of drying beans.