i Patrick W. Staib Anthropology This dissertation is approved, and it ...

the imperfect coffee themselves as a lower grade. The coffee cupper (or catador) 73 will
decide if the final product meets market quality demands by detecting certain flavor,
aroma, and fragrance notes in the finished product. What does not enter into the
exportable yield is retained by the co-op and either returned the farmers or sold at a lesser
value either to the national market or for conventional export. Given this arrangement, it
is understandable that farmers who work diligently to increase their personal exportable
yields may be weary when mixing their harvest with other farmers who may not share the
same work ethic or quality standards.
Most small farmers do not have the experience or capital to invest in high-quality
and high-yielding organic production. While large farmers may be able to absorb cost and
price fluctuations, it is much more complicated for small farmers. A dip in market value
or a rise in the cost of fertilizer will have a greater impact on the domestic budget of a
small farmer. As explained in Chapter 6, farmers can have some control over the quality
of their crop by attending to a myriad of variables, both leading to harvest and in post-
harvest washing, fermenting, and selection. However, it is up to elected cooperative
officials and the co-op administration to determine a favorable price and timeframe for
disbursement of funds as well as arrange for the processing, storage, and sale of the
coffee.
Farmers must first belong to a base-level organization in order to join the export
and service co-op, or second-level cooperative. Should an individual farmer have a large
enough scale of production, they can join a second-level co-op as an individual since
73 The coffee cupper is similar to a wine taster. This individual gauges quality of coffee
after hand selection by roasting, brewing, and tasting the coffee from a particular grower
or grower group.
202