Audio Podcast

Welcome to Kafe Lavi

At one time, the island that Haiti is on exported over half of the world’s coffee. The Port-de-Paix based coffee cooperative Cafèière et Cacouyere du Nord Ouest (COCANO) was formed in 2003 under the auspices of the Catholic Church to develop high-quality, locally grown coffee from the NorthWestern highlands and to regain this coffee tradition that Haiti was once famous for.

The unique aspect of this cooperative is that the growers will sell fully-processed, high-quality roasted coffee, and not simply “green” coffee beans. They understand, as do several other leading “fair-trade plus” coffee cooperatives, that the largest percentage of profits come from selling roasted coffee directly to the consumers - thereby eliminating middle-men and establishing a permanent and just economic relationship between themselves and their customers.

The cooperative knows that organic coffee growing replenishes the soil and reverses deforestation - key issues Haiti has been struggling with for years. Coffee is also one of the world’s largest commodities, and such a fair-trade partnership offers a concrete opportunity to bring investment and sustainable development to one of the poorest regions in the Western hemisphere.

COCANO is collaborating with its Miami partners (St. Thomas University, Catholic Charities, and Amor en Acción), as well as the internationally recognized JustCoffee/JustTrade Center to develop a long-term plan based on the needs of the growers, the demands of the specialty coffee market, and the unique challenges of Haiti. These challenges include an underdeveloped infrastructure, limited water, and extreme poverty. The Haitian people have experienced years of starvation and desperation, but are also a people of great hope, strength – and have soil that produces some of the world’s finest coffee. Will you help in this exciting opportunity to make a long-term impact?