El rojito
| el rojito eV | |
|---|---|
| legal form | registered association |
| founding | 1987 |
| Seat | Hamburg |
| Website | el rojito |
El rojito is an association that sells coffee in Germany as part of fair trade. The association itself speaks of "solidarity trade" and distances itself from the term "fair trade". The coffee is obtained from smallholder cooperatives, mainly in Central America. It is mainly grown organically. There is direct contact with the cooperatives. The prices paid are always above world market prices. In addition to the trade, information is provided about the political and social situation in the growing countries in events and on the website.
aims
el rojito eV sees itself as part of the solidarity economy and wants to combine economic activity with ethical and political demands. Ordinary trade is opposed to a model in which the interests of producers, customers and traders are to be brought into balance. The aim is to convey that trade relationships with producers in the South are possible without exploiting people or nature and by circumventing corporate structures.
history
The association was founded in 1987 "to promote German-Latin American relations". He was part of the solidarity movement with revolutionary Nicaragua. The local economy was to be supported with the coffee trade and support was to be advertised in Hamburg. The name is a play on words: "el rojito" is the name of the ripe, red coffee cherry, but also an allusion to the political orientation. Because of its commercial activity, the association is not a non-profit organization. In the beginning, the work was done on a voluntary basis. Soon, however, practical commercial activity was paid more and more. With the introduction of coffee delivery in 1991, he developed an innovative form of distribution. Organically produced coffee has been on the market since the early 1990s. He is one of the pioneers here too. He has been running his own café in Hamburg Altona since 2004, and has been roasting coffee himself since 2011.
Structure and way of working
From the beginning of the work, the financing takes place through loans from private individuals - today crowdfunding .
The coffee is imported through Mitka GmbH. This company is owned by alternative trading groups. Mitka maintains close cooperation with around ten coffee cooperatives in Central America and handles the annual direct import of around 360 tons of green coffee to Germany. El rojito sells around 100 tons of this. Most of the producers are included in the FLO register (Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International), i. H. they are certified fair trade producers . A few small cooperatives, for which the certification cannot be implemented for financial and personnel reasons, are checked by an internal test procedure as part of the regular visits by MITKA on site. The suppliers receive at least a certain guaranteed price - even if world market and conventional purchase prices are lower. There are then certain surcharges on top of the minimum or world market price. A special feature of the MITKA price model is the cooperative premium, which is intended to specifically strengthen the cooperative structure. The cooperatives use the additional proceeds they generate to support their members, to improve production and for the infrastructure of the local community. Most of the coffee is grown organically in a controlled manner. The pricing is discussed and determined in joint workshops with all cooperatives every few years.
The coffee is processed by hand in Germany in smaller roasters. El rojito has different coffee lines. It all started with the Sandino range . This coffee comes from various cooperatives in Nicaragua and is offered in different roasts. La Cortadora coffee, introduced together with the El Salvador coffee campaign, was added as a second line. Later, with the Flor de Café and the biologo, two series were added in which el rojito eV offered blends of different national coffees for the first time. Together with Gepa, el rojito eV distributes the Hamburg Fairmaster. Small amounts are also roasted yourself. A specialty is a coffee (Flor de Jinotega) that is imported already roasted. This means that more added value takes place in the coffee's country of origin. Most types of coffee have an organic seal.
Distribution takes place via mailing to consumers and one-world shops, sales in our own café, delivery to cafes in Hamburg and food retailers.
Today's information work focuses on unjust world trade structures and alternative approaches, as well as the political situation in Latin American countries. It runs largely through the website and individual events in Hamburg.
Various projects of the Information Office Nicaragua eV are supported with donations, which are mainly requested for the sale of coffee and from the lenders.