THIS MEXICAN DOCUMENTARY MAKES US THINK ABOUT THE TRUE VALUE OF A CUP OF COFFEE

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To you, what does your cup of coffee taste to you?

The directors of the documentary “A Six Dollar Cup of Coffee”  now know history and pride for Mexican coffee, land and the efforts of its producers.

For Andrés Ibáñez Díaz Infante and Alejandro Díaz San Vicente -the directors of the documentary-, the flavor and characteristics of coffee have become an impulse to continue discovering the variety of this grain.

There are times when stories find you, and the story of a cooperative that works coffee in Chiapas found Andrés and Alejandro in the middle of a celebration that later became the documentary that will be shown on March 14 at the  International Film Festival of Guadalajara(FICG) as part of the “Culinary Cinema” section .

Cup of coffee

“A six dollar cup of coffee” is not a movie that seeks to tell the public what to do or what coffee to buy; the goal of both directors was always to tell an exciting story that was born out of curiosity about the world of coffee and to capture a reality that helps the viewer to make more conscious consumer decisions .

Andrés and Alejandro began the project informally at the end of 2012 on a visit to Chilón, Chiapas, to meet the Yomol A’tel cooperative. Despite being strong consumers of coffee, they realized their lack of knowledge of the coffee production chain and the logic of the Tseltal people under which the cooperative was ordered.

Both assumed that by drinking coffee every day could understand its complexity, however, the phenomenon of this grain surprised them with contrasts, conjunctures, injustices and wonders of which we are all part.

Chilón is a small Mexican town affected by poverty, government neglect, and cultural discrimination; the organization of small coffee producers Batsil Maya works to control the production and its coffee varieties as a means to defend the wealth of its territory.

During filming, the commercial director of the cooperative travels to Seattle, United States, for the annual event of the American Coffee Association and exhibits its product and business model. Unfortunately, the specialty coffee market is reluctant to accept a product that has been roasted in origin. Meanwhile, the leader of the Tseltal coffee growers is fighting the plague known as rust, which has destroyed 70% of the crops in Mexico.

Alejandro Díaz says that during the 5 years of the filming of the documentary, something that amazed them was the patience they developed to achieve the production chain. “We had to learn to move to the rhythm of the land, the cooperative and the coffee, this patience helped us to revalue the coffee and each one of the characters that represent it”.

This documentary is not about the good and bad characters of the story, but about human beings facing complex decisions trying to do the best possible inside or outside the commercial system; Everyone from the farmer working in the ravines, to the barista, all have a valid story to tell about coffee.

“We woke up very early to start our day with the producers, we lived with them, we met the families, we played with the children of the town; We became friends with the characters in the documentary, “says Andrés Ibáñez. “Once you discover the mysteries and wonders of coffee, which is not just a drink, then you start wondering what you’re going to spend your money on.

A six dollar cup of coffee (Spanish trailer)

Source: Animal Gourmet

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