Benecke Coffee: Millions Still Owed to Coffee Producers (COMSA & Peruvian Cooperatives) - EP1721 Part 1 of 5 (Map It Forward)
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Episode Description
This is part 1 of a new 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guests for this series are Rodolfo Peñalba, General Manager of COMSA in Honduras, his colleague Olvyn Hernandez, and Óscar Inocente, a lawyer working with four Peruvian cooperatives affected by the Benecke Coffee insolvency. Pedro Manga joins Lee as co-host and Spanish translator.
This is our fourth series covering the Benecke case, and the focus is now firmly on the fight to get coffee producers paid.
Two months after our previous conversations, there have been some significant developments.
Óscar reports that two of the four Peruvian cooperatives have now received 100% of the money owed to them, while another has received 50% and a fourth approximately 25%. He explains how their legal representatives identified contractual provisions that helped secure those payments outside the ordinary insolvency distribution process.
In Honduras, COMSA reports receiving approximately $172,000 after deductions for one container, leaving eleven containers still awaiting payment.
The conversation raises questions about the contractual rights of coffee producers, payments reportedly made by J.J. Darboven to Benecke, the involvement of UniCredit, and the information available to affected creditors.
We also discuss how the cooperatives are communicating with the insolvency administrator, their concerns about transparency, and unanswered questions surrounding the sale of Rehm & Co. to Sucafina.
This episode offers an important update on the progress made, the money still outstanding, and the challenges facing cooperatives trying to recover payment for coffee they delivered.
Connect with our guests:
Rodolfo Peñalba and COMSA: https://www.linkedin.com/company/comsaofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/comsa_oficial/
Olvyn Hernandez: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olvyn-hernandez-5b9269256/
Óscar Inocente: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oinocente/
Peruvian Cooperatives Media Manager - Marcafab: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marcafab
Catch up on our previous Benecke coverage:
Series 1 | Peru: The experiences of affected Peruvian cooperatives: https://www.mapitforward.coffee/podcasts/daily-coffee-pro-benecke-coffee-1656
Series 2 | Honduras: COMSA's experience and the impact on Honduran producers: https://www.mapitforward.coffee/podcasts/daily-coffee-pro-benecke-coffee-comsa-1661
Series 3 | The Benecke Case Explained: Lee Safar reviews the situation, evidence and outstanding questions: https://www.mapitforward.coffee/podcasts/daily-coffee-pro-lee-safar-solo-benecke-1666