Café Puma

Sierra de las Minas – Eastern Guatemala

Fostering cohabitation between coffee farmers and pumas

There are 40 different species of wild felines around the world. Most of them are being constantly threatened into their habitats by the expansion of human activities. Guatemala is home for five wildcats, one of them being the Puma (Puma concolor).

Pumas are listed in the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) . Its population is estimated at less than 50,000 with a declining trend. Pumas are an umbrella specie: through their protection, many other species also living on its habitat are de facto protected.

Sierra de las Minas is a large mountain range in Eastern Guatemala. It spreads over several departments and offers perfect habitat for the Puma. Sierra de la Minas is also a coffee producing area. Coffee farmers and Pumas have to cohabit.

Our sister comany in Guatemala, Waelti Schoenfeld Exportadores de Café S.A., has teamed up with Panthera, an international organisation in charge of the protection of wildcats around the world. Panthera’s work usually focuses on stopping poaching, preventing conflicts with people and conserving Pumas’ wild habitat. In Sierra de las Minas, they have jointly developed a new strategy to foster the

Region:
Sierra de las Minas

Altitude:
1,500 M.A.S.L.

Producers:
Small holders

Variety:
Typica, Caturra, Bourbon

Crop period:
January - March

Processing:
fully-washed, sun-dried

Café Puma is the result of this collaboration: the coffee is grown only by farmers respecting and fostering Pumas’ wild habitat. In addition to protecting the pumas in the short to medium term, this project is changing the mindset of the farmers against Pumas in the entire community and will therefore reduce conflicts between human and animals in the long-run.

From a farmer’s perspective, participating in this program is twice rewarding. In addition to helping the environment and wildlife, coffee farmers are paid a premium when selling their cherries to Waelti Schoenfeld, who also donates 10 cts/lb - or a bit more than 15 $ pro bag - to Panthera to support them financially.

With the Puma project, we aim at continuing and strengthening the efforts of Panthera in the Sierra de las Minas region, so they can keep educating communities on Puma, making a favorable and environmentally-friendly habitat for the Pumas and stop poaching activities!

Carlos Umanzor, Specialty Coffee Trader - Waelti Schoenfeld (Volcafe Guatemala)

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