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REBUILDING LIVES
Reconstructing the Dominican Republic after Hurricane Georges
>> Rebuilding Lives Photo Exhibit >> Agricultural and Economic Reactivation
Jose Maria "Don Jose" de la Cruz is 63 years old and has 80 tares (12 acres) of organic coffee. He is a certified industrial engineer who got tired of city life and moved to Los Dajaos. He has lived in the area for 14 years and enjoys helping the local farmers. He serves as President of the Los Dajaos Farmer's Association.
"One day I decided that working as hard as I did was not paying off. After a long hard day at work, I decided to move closer to nature and away from city life. I bought some land in Los Dajaos, and now, 14 years later, I am still here enjoying helping the farmers and working the land. I enjoy working with the local farmers and helping them. The air at 1,000 meters is much better. I am healthier and I feel younger, plus we are now selling our green coffee 35 points above New York coffee prices."
"Our organic and gourmet coffees are the only way of fighting the dropping prices in coffee. People want quality, and thanks to USAID, we are providing quality coffee that could compete with the best coffees of the world."
"It was Brian, a USAID employee, who helped us design the label for Cafe Compay Pedro Juan. He did this on his own and on his own time. We now have Fredy's face on the label, and we can sell our coffee to visitors and local stores. Now, thanks to USAID, we are starting to market our coffee abroad."
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Last Updated on: March 11, 2002 |
