Episode Details

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Episode Description

This is Part 5 of a five-part series of The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward examining what happened between Benecke Coffee in Germany and coffee cooperatives in Peru pursuing claims for coffee they say remains unpaid.

Across the first four episodes, the series followed the relationships between the cooperatives and Benecke, the movement of the coffee from Peru to Germany, the growing payment delays, the transition into insolvency, and the challenge of recovering money through an international creditor process.

In this final episode, the focus changes.

The question is no longer simply what happened?

It is: What should the global coffee industry learn from this?

Podcast host Lee Safar is joined by Emerson Carrasco, General Manager of Sanchirio Palomar Cooperative; Anabel Barrientos, General Manager of Ubiriki Valley Cooperative, and Óscar Inocente, a lawyer working with the affected Peruvian cooperatives. Ana Donneys continues translating for the series and is a contributor to the discussion.

Emerson says that if Sanchirio had known Benecke was experiencing serious financial problems, the cooperative could have chosen not to ship and instead sold the coffee to buyers with stronger financial capacity.

Anabel says one of the clearest lessons is that years of trading history cannot replace proper due diligence. She argues that cooperatives need to assess the financial position, debt, payment capacity and history of buyers before renewing contracts.

Óscar broadens the discussion to the rest of the supply chain, arguing that risk and accountability need to be reconsidered across producers, cooperatives, buyers, certifiers and financiers.

At the same time, he says he still believes in Fairtrade and sees this case as an opportunity for the system to improve rather than something that invalidates it.

Ana Maria Donneys also joins the conversation as a producer, reminding us that behind every contract and container are people who may have invested months or years of work before receiving payment.

Correction: Arthur E. Darboven ceased serving as Managing Director of the Benecke management company on 25 April 2024. His ownership position and any continuing involvement after that date remain under investigation.

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