"He belonged to a “fair trade” co-op, which guarantees farmers a minimum price, but was making only $1.30 a pound on coffee that retailed in the United States for $12 a pound. "
He had just 12 acres that produced 6,000 pounds of specialty-grade coffee beans a year.
"Mr. Lander started to think that he might improve on the idea. He began to experiment. Using a roaster he had bought in better times, he started roasting his beans and selling them on Facebook to friends in the United States. He also opened a coffee shop, called the Common Cup, in Monteverde, and sold his coffee to tourists."
"The company is still largely untested, but is built on the idea that farmers can “participate in the added value as coffee moves downstream to the consumer,” Mr. Lander said."