Benecke Coffee: Producers Still Owed Millions After Coffee Was Sold (COMSA & Peruvian Cooperatives) - EP1723 Part 3 of 5 (Map It Forward)
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Episode Description
This is part 3 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 we're continuing the fight to get coffee producers paid.
The coffee was produced, certified, exported and delivered. J.J. Darboven has told Map It Forward that it paid its 2025 invoices to Benecke. Yet millions of dollars remain outstanding to coffee producers in Honduras and Peru.
So where did the money go?
In this episode, Rodolfo explains COMSA's understanding of the transactions involving Benecke and J.J. Darboven, and the frustration of knowing that coffee was delivered while more than $3 million remains unpaid to the Honduran cooperative.
He questions how such significant financial exposure could arise from a longstanding commercial relationship and why the cooperative must now depend on an insolvency process to recover money for coffee it supplied.
Óscar shares information from the insolvency administrator's earlier reports, including approximately €11 million in reported assets and other amounts, encompassing cash, inventory and receivables. He raises questions about how much remains available, what expenses have been incurred, what other creditors are owed, and why the affected cooperatives have not received more detailed information.
The discussion also explores what producers and cooperatives can do to protect themselves in future international coffee transactions.
Óscar outlines how access to buyers' financial information and factoring services could help cooperatives evaluate commercial risk before exporting coffee.
Rodolfo discusses potential changes to shipping documentation and payment arrangements, including retaining original bills of lading until payment is received, using letters of credit, and exploring the possibility of cooperatives establishing their own importing businesses in consuming markets.
These are important questions for the entire coffee industry, not just those directly affected by the Benecke insolvency.
If coffee producers meet their contractual obligations and deliver their product, what protections should exist to ensure they receive payment?
And what needs to change so that the financial risks of international coffee trading are no longer disproportionately carried by producers?
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