GCP and the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE) have taken a significant step toward advancing coffee sustainability in Honduras by signing a letter of understanding. The agreement underscores the shared commitment to strengthening collaboration in the country and ensuring long-term positive impacts on the coffee sector.
The signing, which took place during a visit to the country by GCP Executive Director Annette Pensel, highlights the critical role national coffee platforms play in fostering sustainability in coffee-producing nations. Pensel’s trip was marked by engagements with key stakeholders and organizations dedicated to supporting coffee farmers and advancing the sector’s resilience and sustainability.
During her visit, Pensel met with representatives of the Sustainable Coffee Platform of Honduras (PCSH) and visited the Honduran Coffee Company (COHONDUCAFE), where she participated in a podcast recording hosted by the COHONDUCAFE Foundation. She also engaged with prominent coffee traders, including Volcafe, General Import Company SOGIMEX, ECOM, Louis Dreyfus Company, and JDE Peet’s, and met with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a key partner of the PCSH.
In a discussion with Honduras’s Vice Minister of Coffee Growing, Carlos Murillo, accompanied by Vivian Tejeda, Operations Manager for Honduras, and Guillermo Alvarado, GCP Program Manager for Honduras, strategies were explored to enhance the coffee sector’s development and strengthen the collaboration between GCP and PCSH and to explore how GCP and PCSH can become strategic allies for the country’s coffee growing.
Another highlight was her meeting with the European Union embassy in the context of the EUDR regulations, where she spoke with representatives and Ambassador Gonzalo Fournier about the implications of the regulations for the coffee sector. Likewise, in collaboration with the Tropical Agricultural Research Center (CIAT), areas of synergy and possible joint projects between GCP and CIAT were identified.
The visit also included participation in the popular IHCAFE radio program La Hora del Café, where Pensel and Alvarado shared GCP’s work with thousands of producers across the country.
The visit culminated with GCP’s participation in the inauguration of the assembly of the Honduran Association of Coffee Producers (AHPROCAFE), the largest in the country, reaffirming GCP’s commitment to the development and sustainability of the sector.
This milestone visit and the signed agreement reaffirm GCP’s dedication to strengthening alliances, addressing challenges, and promoting sustainability in Honduras’s coffee sector. By supporting local platforms like the PCSH and fostering collaboration across stakeholders, GCP is paving the way for impactful progress in the Honduran coffee industry.
