EP1657 Part 2 of 5 | How the Benecke Coffee Trade Broke Down (Benecke Coffee) | Map It Forward

**Advertising Sponsor** Get “**The Coffee Report by Map It Forward”** directly to your inbox every Friday by signing up for either our Green Coffee or Roasted Coffee Patreon tiers in our Patreon community. Head to https://www.patreon.com/collection/2275485 to read our first report for free. Sign up for as little as $5 per month. **Episode Description** This is Part 2 of our five-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro examining the dispute between Benecke Coffee and coffee cooperatives in Peru pursuing unpaid claims. In Part 1, we established who the cooperatives are and the financial and commercial risks they carry. In this episode, we follow the coffee. Lee Safar, Emerson Carrasco, Anabel Barrientos, and Óscar Inocente, together with Ana Donneys as translator, explain how coffee moves from the farm to the cooperative, through processing and financing, and onto the vessel at Callao. Óscar describes the investment cooperatives make in certification, production support, transport and finance before payment is received. He says financing can carry annual interest rates of approximately 14–18%. The conversation then examines the commercial terms. Emerson explains the export documentation process and says payment from a German importer would normally be expected within approximately 15–30 days. The episode also introduces the retention-of-title issue raised by the cooperatives, which becomes increasingly important later in the series. Anabel then describes the point at which Ubiriki began to realise that Benecke’s payment delays were no longer normal. She says the cooperative continued shipping after receiving reassurances that payment would be made. The final section introduces questions about Fairtrade’s role after Lee says Fairtrade International confirmed awareness of payment arrears involving Benecke from June 2025. In Part 3, the series moves from delayed payments into insolvency. ***Correction:*** Arthur E. Darboven ceased serving as Managing Director of the Benecke management company on 25 April 2024. His ownership position and any continuing involvement after that date remain under investigation. ***Connect with our guests here:*** **Anabel Barrientos** https://www.linkedin.com/company/cooperativa-cafetalera-valle-ubiriki‍ ‍ gerencia@ubiriki.com.pe **Emerson Carrasco** https://www.linkedin.com/in/emerson-carrasco-791b9871/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/sanchirio-pe ecarrasco@sanchirio.com **Oscar Innocente** oinocente@hotmail.com WhatsApp +51 995 147 869 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oinocente/ **For media, contact Nataly Fabrikantova** https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataly-fabrikantova-82609219a/ ***Editorial Note:*** This series concerns an active insolvency and ongoing creditor claims. Statements concerning Benecke Coffee, Fairtrade, FLOCERT, the insolvency proceedings and other organisations reflect the accounts and perspectives of participants unless otherwise identified. Allegations should not be understood as findings of wrongdoing. If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward ‘The Coffee Report’: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: [support@mapitforward.org](mailto:support@mapitforward.org?)