Coffee. A bitter taste in the mouth. Ataco. El Salvador

It was supposed to be a quiet interesting trip on a Saturday morning to a local coffee production centre. It wasn't

I kicked off big time.

Arriving mid morning, I was curious as to why there were so many people, adults and kids hanging around. I asked the chap who was taking us around the place; who happened to be one of the sons of the plantation owner.

"What is going on here then, with all these people?"

"They have come to collect there wages for the weeks work they have done"

"You make them visit on one of their rest days to pick up what is rightfully theirs? that sounds like a very caring employer"

A few supportive mumbled "here here's" from my fellow travellers, further darkened the mood, I think mr gold cufflinks was getting the message.

Has much changed in worker exploitation? As recently as the 1970's, 95% of the farmers didn’t have their own properties to work. The arable land in the whole of the country was owned by just 14 families, coffee barons similar to an oligarch who gets rich on corruption and the backs of the rednecks in the field.

These barons gave the farmers small areas to live and work. In return, they had to work six days a week on a salary of less than 25 cents a day. On such a low income, they couldn’t provide their families with healthcare or education.

Nowadays the coffee barons power has been diluted, but the average wage still is only circa $4 a day.

The process of producing coffee has been determined by El Salvadoran law as a hazardous activity. No shit Sherlock, unguarded machinery, no provision of respiratory protection, no provision of hearing protection, no general work clothes. Sometimes I am just unable to let go of my professional life

Ever experienced the sound of silence?

Ask a guy in gold cufflinks, how many employees are injured or suffer through ill health, a year in a facility like this.

"Hello darkness my old friend"

From berry to bean to....

......finished product

He seemed rather smug and pleased with himself as he fannyed about making his brand of coffee in the traditional way, before offering it out and pouring it into cheap nasty fucking polystyrene cups.

That says it all really.

Me? One sip, gave it him back with the simple one word

"Yeuch"

That says it all really

Vintage
bits

There were a few lovely old bits of machinery and equipment about, made and shipped from the USA

As we departed the crowds of these underpaid, under valued employees were still queueing for their pittance.

A very bitter taste in my mouth.