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Isaac Peterman

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"Article text courtesy of nytimes.com"

Coffee Prices Are at a 50-Year High. Producers Aren’t Celebrating.

These should be wonderful times at Finca El Puente, a coffee plantation carved into the mountains of southwestern Honduras. On world markets, the price of ordinary coffee has more than doubled over the past year. The specialty varieties of coffee harvested at the farm have long commanded a hefty premium, reflecting their status as the source of aromatic brews savored like fine wine from Seattle to Seoul. On a recent afternoon, a buyer from Malaysia was visiting to taste the latest offerings.

Yet the owners of the operation — Marysabel Caballero, a fourth-generation coffee farmer, and her husband, Moises Herrera — are increasingly apprehensive. The costs of production have swelled. They must pay extra wages to attract scarce workers; fertilizer has gotten more expensive. Their crop has been ravaged by ill-timed rains and volatile temperatures. Even after the surge in prices, they are likely to earn less this year than last.