Café Orgánico Marcala S.A. (COMSA)
Part of COMSA’s technical assistance team led by Fredy Perez (with straw hat in front).
Co-op Name: Café Orgánico Marcala S.A. (COMSA)
Location: Marcala, La Paz, Honduras
Number of producers: 1573 (25% Women)
Average land under production per farmer: 3.7 Ha (~8.8 Acres)
Certifications: Organic, Fair Trade, SPP, Denomination of Origin Marcala
Varieties: post-coffee leaf rust crisis: Icatu, Parainema, Lempira, IHCAFE 90; before the coffee leaf rust crisis: Catuai, Pacas, Caturra
Altitude: average range of 1300-1500 meters above sea level
Processes: Washed, Natural, Honey
Website: http://www.comsa.hn
COMSA has an incredible experimental farm called La Fortaleza where the technical assistance team hosts workshops focusing on sharing the COMSA philosophy. As the members of COMSA experimented on their farms and exchanged ideas with other growers, their organic philosophy grew and grew.
Today, they emphasize the 5 Ms: organic Material, Microorganisms, Minerals, living Molecules, and Gray Matter (or brain power) as the foundation for their organic vision. Microorganisms are the billions of bacteria, fungi, yeast, etc. that live in soil and have a positive impact on decomposing organic matter and building healthy soil.
All five of the Ms relate fundamentally to soil health:
Organic Material/compost: manure, decomposing leaves, coffee pulp, organic household waste
Micro-organisms: convert compost to rich, living humus
Minerals: from pulverized rock & sands
Living Molecules of bio-rich high-intensity fertilizer: proteins, hormones, vitamins, enzymes and microflora
Gray Matter: your brain!
La Fortaleza hosts members, students, and visitors from around the globe for week-long workshops that emphasize expanding your capacity to understand organic agriculture, the interconnectedness of our world, and the role that we can play in creating a future we believe in. Staffed by agronomists and social workers, La Fortaleza is a truly remarkable space for experimentation led by farmers for farmers.
A little bit of history: COMSA is a coffee producer society based in Marcala, La Paz, Honduras that proposes economic, social, and environmental objectives as a strategy to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable development. Founded in 2001 with 7000 lempiras (300 US$) of social capital, COMSA grew out of an initiative of the Rural Business Development Foundation (FUNDER). Sixty producers in Marcala (12 women, 48 men) came together as the founding members of COMSA with the goal of directly exporting their coffee production. In 2018, COMSA has grown to have more than 1200 farmer members.
