Big Red Roaster Journey
Bean North Coffee is donating “Big Red,” a beautiful small-batch coffee roaster, to the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative in Nicaragua.
Bean North Coffee Roasting Co. has embarked on an ambitious plan of eco-integrity. They just replaced ‘Big Red’ their small-batch roaster with a big, beautiful blue roaster that will connect to a giant hot water system which will capture the heat produced by the roaster and use it to warm the cafe, storehouse, and roasting room. And this is just the beginning as they plan to heat homes and a year-round greenhouse … a project they are working on with local organic farmers.
This has freed up ‘Big Red‘– a shiny machine worth $10,000 – which Bean North is overhauling, servicing and writing an operating and repair manual for. The challenge now is to get it to SOPPEXCCA who are ready to venture into roasting their own coffee and providing it to tourists, locals and businesses in their own country! So Bean North is looking to their friends and customers to help raise enough money (current estimate is $8000) to send ‘Big Red’ by truck to Skagway, by ship to Honduras, and by train to and truck to Jinotega, Nicaragua.
Members of the SOPPEXCCA Cooperative are coffee growers for Cooperative Coffees, North America’s original and most respected 100% fair trade cooperative (even the Wall Street Journal recognizes their good work and integrity), of which Bean North Coffee Roasting Co. is a founding Canadian member.
650 families are members of SOPPEXCCA. Located in Jinotega, in the northwest region of Nicaragua, SOPPEXCCA has won awards for the high quality of their coffee. They have trained members to be coffee quality inspectors, barristas, and environmental educators and have been recognized for the high level of cooperation of their members.
They are delighted to be getting “Big Red”! Due to the success of their cafe and local sales they could really use a roaster to meet their growing demand for fresh roasted coffee.
Keiran Duncan, our contact with FLO International said: “That is fantastic news about the roaster, the spare parts and possible support on installation. I spoke to the folks in SOPPEXCCA on the phone and they are delighted about being able to take up the roaster whenever it suits you.”
We accept donations of all sizes and types with gratitude. Money will help us get it there. So will an in-kind donation from a transport company. Can you help?
We can be contacted at 1-867-667-4145 or we would love to see you person. Come on out to the shop at KM 9.3 on the Hotsprings Rd.
We can also be contacted via email through this link – e-mail Michael
