José María Gutiérrez Parra
(translated by J. McLean)
I am an administrative and financial consultant to rural
enterprises, mainly groups of coffee growers, in the the state of
Veracruz, Mexico. For several years I have worked on the process
of transferring to the small producers the coffee mills
(beneficios) that had been the property of the Mexican Coffee
Institute (INMECAFE). For some years I have been interested in
the environment problems of coffee, the certification process,
and also organic cotton. From all of this arose my interest in
the sustainability of coffee production. I have begun to work
towards the financing of water and waste treatment systems in the
beneficios of Veracruz. I will eventually write about coffee in
the local paper and magazines.
Presently I am forming an analysis of what has occurred in Mexico since the breakdown of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989 and the dissolution of INMECAFE. I am interested in the resulting effects on the coffee market and free trade since 1994. I think that the Fair Trade movement has to take into account the global politics involved in the setting of market prices, especially the relationships between producers, brokers, and toasters. I am also interested in the development of communications on the Internet as concerns the production and commerce of coffee.
To contact Sr. Gutiérrez Parra, send e-mail to
chema@edg.net.mx.
