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Learn and apply supply chain strategies to support coffee producers in Honduras.
Students are guided by our local economic development professionals and industry experts to learn about the long coffee supply chains in Honduras and make recommendations to our coffee-producing clients to generate more income. Students will gain exposure to coffee farmers, cooperatives, local buyers, and exporters/importers. Through interviews, industry research, return on investment calculations, and cultural sharing, students make recommendations to the clients to help them decide what additional value-add activities they should adopt and what investments to make to increase profitability.
In addition to our skill-based learning objectives, building cultural competence is integrated into the course to increase the quality of services and improve outcomes with community partners.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students that successfully complete the Agricultural Supply Chain (Coffee) will be able to:
- Analyze economic issues impacting rural communities in a developing country.
- Describe the role and function of each element of their coffee client’s supply chain.
- Collaborate in small groups to develop recommendations and collateral materials to improve the supply chain for their coffee client’s business.
- Present and explain recommendations and collateral materials to their coffee client farmers.
Resources provided in support of the virtual sessions and Modules
- Bilingual, on-the-ground session facilitators and client liaisons with business backgrounds who will coordinate each virtual session with students.
- A translator is provided in each virtual session in which students engage with business clients.
- Honduran coffee industry expert.
- Full-time local teams that work year-round to support business clients.
- Electronic support materials in Canvas (LMS) are provided to all students.
- Session scheduling that coordinates all class meetings and meetings with business clients.
- Students in each program will work with a coffee client (coffee farmer or group of farmers) in small working groups.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Self-paced activities before Module 1
Students will read several articles before Module 1 on the process of growing and producing coffee, coffee production in Honduras, adding beekeeping to financially supplement coffee growing cycle downtime , and Spanish vocabulary used in the industry.
Module 1: Introduction to Kambia/Global Brigades, Economic Context in Honduras, Social Determinants Impacting the Economic Situation, and What Does It Mean to be a Consultant in an International Context? And how to Analyze a Business? (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Discuss the mission and vision of Kambia/Global Brigades, the economic context in Honduras, the social determinants affecting the economic situation of rural communities in this country, Client selection process and key principles of international business consulting. Students will review the use of the Business Model Canvas.
Module 1 – Self-paced follow-up activities
Students will read several articles on the agricultural supply chain, coffee production and supply chain in a country that grows similar varieties of coffee to Honduras, and the importance of diversification in coffee farming. Based on their readings, students will prepare questions for the Module 2 discussion with a Honduran coffee industry expert.
Module 2: Introduction to the Coffee Supply and Value Chain (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
A locally-based industry expert in coffee growing and production explains the coffee supply chain – from growing coffee in rural Honduras to its processing, distribution, and export. Session will explore differences between organic and non-organic coffee production, as well as fair trade, sello de origen del cafe based on its location, rainforest alliance, UTZ (better farming better future) for cooperatives, USDA (organic), and 4C Association designations. Students will discuss with the coffee expert the challenges that Honduran coffee farmers experience during the land preparation, coffee growing, and how to generate income during months between harvests. Students will also compare and contrast the Honduran coffee supply chain with those from other countries.
Module 2 – Self-paced follow-up activities
Students will read articles about coffee agricultural diseases, a profile of a company utilizing coffee production waste to maximize farmer profits, and effects of climate change on coffee production to prepare for a discussion in Module 3.
Module 3: What are the Challenges of a Coffee Farmer? What is a Coffee Cooperative? How Does Global Brigades Support Cooperatives? Coffee Farmer Profile and Meeting Preparation (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students will learn about the challenges faced by a farmer producing and selling coffee. Based on these challenges, students draft a non-monetary three-step solution and present it to financial expert for feedback. Global Brigades’ financial division director (Eskala) explains how coffee cooperatives are organized, Global Brigades’ support for cooperatives, benefits for coffee farmers, and how cooperatives support its members.
Students read the client profile and begin drafting questions for their client in module 4.
Module 3 – Self-paced follow-up activities
Students will read an article on cooperatives in Honduras, review their notes from past Modules in preparation for the client meeting, and finalize questions for their client meeting in Module 4.
Module 4: Coffee Client Meeting 1 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
First meeting between the coffee client and students to gather the information needed to analyze the current client’s supply chain, develop a consultant-client relationship, and have a cultural exchange.
Module 4 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Students analyze the current coffee supply chain of their client.
Module 5: Working Session 1 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Review notes from client meetings and divide into working groups to analyze their client’s coffee supply chain and begin to draft solutions to help the client expand the scope of their business by adding activities in the next level of the supply chain.
Students prepare an initial presentation for feedback from the coffee industry expert in Module 6.
Module 5 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Students continue to revise their initial presentation for the coffee industry expert in Module 6.
Module 6: Feedback Session with the Coffee Industry Expert and Working Session 2 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students present their group analysis and client solutions to the coffee industry expert for feedback.
In the second part of the session, based upon the feedback received from the coffee industry expert, students prepare questions for their coffee client meeting in Module 7 to seek information to help them finalize their presentation and to collect data to analyze the return on investment.
Module 6 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Students continue to revise questions for their coffee client meeting in Module 7.
Module 7: Coffee Client Meeting 2 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students meet with their coffee client to seek information needed to help them finalize their presentation and collect data to analyze the return on investment.
Module 7 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Based upon the meeting with their coffee client, students revise their supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection).
Modules 8: Working Session 3 (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students in their groups continue to revise their client supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection) in preparation for their presentation to the coffee industry expert in Module 9.
Module 8 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Students continue to revise their client supply chain recommendations and collateral.
Module 9: Presentation and Coffee Industry Expert Feedback (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students in their groups present their client supply chain recommendations and collateral (including a return on investment projection) for feedback from the coffee industry expert.
Module 9 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Based upon the meeting with the coffee industry expert, students revise their presentation and collateral. They also draft a technical Executive Summary of their presentation, following their professors’ guidelines, to be presented to their faculty in Module 10.
Module 10: Executive Summary Presentation to the Faculty (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Students in their groups present their technical Executive Summary to their faculty for feedback and a grade.
Module 10 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Based upon faculty feedback, students revise their presentation and collateral for their presentation to their coffee client in Module 11.
Module 11: Final Presentation to Coffee Client (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Student groups present their recommendations and collateral to their coffee client and receive feedback.
Module 11 – Self-paced follow-up Activity
Based upon the client meeting, students complete final revisions to their recommendations and collateral.
Module 12: Debrief and Final Reflection (Contact time: 2 hours est.)
Debrief with the student groups on their clients’ feedback and reflections on personal and professional development during the program.
Are you a student and not a faculty member? Find a student-led brigade Chapter near you.