Support the Americas

In October, 2005 Hurricane Stan roared into the Gulf Coast region of Central America. Southern Mexico and Guatemala found themselves in the center of the storm, where torrential rains caused devastating mudslides and wide-spread flooding. Whole villages were buried by tumbling walls of mud and rock. All in all, more than 2000 souls are reported perished.
Among those most affected are the coffee-farming, indigenous Mayan communities surrounding Lake Atitlán, and coffee growing communities in Chiapas, Mexico as well as La Libertad, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
The destruction caused by the hurricane will require years of rebuilding in regions already struck by intense poverty. All co-ops who have been severely affected are looking towards the Fair Trade community as a source of donations and support as they face reconstruction and a bleak harvest season. TransFair USA will be running a collection program for the coffee cooperatives. You may choose to directly funnel your contribution into a cooperative or region of your choice, or we will prioritize needs and distribute funds as fairly as possible.

This is the first time since Hurricane Stan that the coffee-farming community have crops, so please support(drink) any coffee that comes from: Guatemala, Mexico (Chiapas), Nicaragua & El Salvador. Cafe Ole is proud to have Guatemalan coffee! Keep on drinking!

image via: weather channel