coffee

Traveling through the Hilario Luna y Luna and Guarico parishes of the Morán municipality in Lara State means connecting with a land full of history, struggle, and resistance. It is also home to thousands of hard-working small-scale coffee-producing families who share a culture of collective work to improve their living conditions. Common problems often call for joint solutions, such as coming together to repair roads, or pooling coffee contributions to rent heavy machinery.

This time of year, everything revolves around the harvest, which holds the key to surviving for another year. For many campesinos, whatever they can get for their quintals [around 46 kilos] of coffee can be their only source of income. It is the basis for planning the daily reproduction needs, including food, clothes, healthcare, and tending to the land, which requires maintenance, fertilizer, fuel, and other inputs for the next sowing cycle.

As such, prices, yields, bean quality, as well as any unforeseen setbacks, will shape campesino lives until the next cycle. Underwhelming revenues can leave producers at the mercy of loans that often entail “paying double.” In other words, for every quintal loaned, or its money equivalent, the campesino must pay back two in the next harvest. This further shrinks the margin of error, in a context where inputs, fertilizers, machinery, etc., in the countryside are fully subjected to the market dictates and the interests of agribusiness corporations.

Therefore, the yearly setting of the quintal price is a matter of life or death for thousands of small and midsize coffee producers, with plots ranging from a few hundred square meters up to 8 hectares.

The prices on paper

On September 12, an agreement on coffee harvest prices by quality was reached at the Land Institute (INTI) headquarters in Caracas. It followed a review of cost structures and several preliminary meetings. The accord was signed by representatives of Venezuelan coffee producers and private processing and roasting companies. The talks were mediated by the Agriculture Ministry and the state-run Venezuelan Coffee Corporation.

As I toured the villages in the aforementioned parishes, there was one common complaint: “the established prices are not being upheld,” in reference to both the coffee-roasting plants and the traditional intermediaries. This has been a recurring issue in recent years.

From October 12 to October 24, prices varied between $205 and $245 per quintal, significantly below the agreed-upon figures. And though there was a slight upward trend, time runs against producers, especially the smaller ones. They must sell in order to settle pending debts or meet other financial commitments from the harvest work. At the same time, according to local sources, buyers are paying $280 or $285 for shipments of 50 quintals or more, volumes that only large-scale producers can meet.

Rural organizations have denounced the low prices in multiple protests in Portuguesa State, another region with a coffee-producing track record and with a concentration of agroindustrial corporations. However, there has been no response from the Venezuelan government. Since mid-October, dozens of producers have demonstrated outside the headquarters of the Botalón and Amanecer corporations, two of the biggest Venezuelan agribusiness corporations. Campesinos hold them directly responsible for disregarding the established prices.

On October 23, Agriculture Minister Vladimir Padrino López visited Guarico, and some expected that he would comment on the price issue. But the only visible outcome of his visit was social media content. There were no meetings with coffee growers, at least no small-scale ones (the videos were recorded in corporate properties), and there were no talks with local authorities.

Thus far, there has been no sign of the set prices being respected. An important factor may be the fact that they were not published in the Official Gazette as usual, which would grant more legal weight to the complaints. In contrast, what was spread on social media and reported on by some private media outlets was just the first of three pages in the document. Unfortunately, neither the Agriculture Ministry nor the Venezuelan Coffee Corporation has issued any press statement on the matter.

Bad harvest

Another recurring theme in conversations with local campesinos was the low yield of this year’s harvest. It is commonly said that good and bad years alternate, that picking the fruits of the good years “hurts the plants,” meaning the next cycle will be used to recover and yield less.

But on this occasion there was a different explanation. Throughout the year, the area has been hit by heavy rain, and coffea plants did not “enjoy summer” in February and March. As a result, flowers did not fully bloom, leading to fewer fruits. Some producers noted that in many cases only half the bean was properly developed.

This phenomenon is more prevalent in varieties that are not robusta, the one that fetches lower prices in the recent agreement. The canephora plants have produced a good harvest. Canephora is a robusta variety, native to central and western sub-Saharan Africa, that has quickly spread throughout this entire region in recent years. In certain ways it resembles the creole coffee that has practically vanished from fields.

It is a plant that carries a big load, with heavy beans. It takes 12 or 13 20-liter cans to reach a quintal, as opposed to as many as 18 for other varieties. It requires little maintenance, though its size makes harvesting more cumbersome. Local families are tempted to ditch all other coffee plants and focus exclusively on canephora, despite the lower price per quintal. But some warn that it would be a mistake. Planting a single variety increases the risk of losing everything to disease.

Between survival and exports

Most debates surrounding coffee identify the need to improve quality, which seems to be a broad consensus. But for small-scale producers, who contribute the bulk of the harvest, doing so requires a comprehensive public policy grounded in their specific circumstances and needs.

One of them, circling back to the original issue, is ensuring that the established prices are adhered to. Failing that, it is impossible for campesinos to sustain their activity and plan long term. If intermediaries and coffee-buying firms simply purchase “in bulk,” with little concern for quality, they reduce the incentive to improve it. If companies are going to mix grade A and grade C washed coffee beans, or mix with robusta, while paying the same low price, then why bother with a better plant?

Nowadays, many producers are drying their coffee with the shell, without depulping, though it reduces the bean quality, to then hull and sell. Very few dry their harvests in the sun, not only because of recent rainfall, but also to make the process faster. They resort to diesel-powered dryers, which generate a heat-producing flame that then needs to be spread with a wheel and an engine. The process also requires electricity, bringing another recurring complaint: blackouts and surges slow down drying. Beans require 24 to 36 hours, depending on the machine, the amount of coffee, and whether it has been depulped.

The local producers I talked to acknowledged that the government’s diesel distribution has been effective. There is a schedule, with a price of $50 per 200-liter drum, far cheaper than the $120 it costs in gas stations, though there are complaints about diesel being diverted to a black market. But all in all, it is considered a positive policy, though tighter oversight is needed to address vulnerabilities.

The policy is also appreciated because it is adapted to a technology that has become widespread in recent years, but runs counter to quality-improving recommendations. The Venezuelan Coffee Corporation is pushing African raised beds, for instance, for sun drying. This method was visible in Padrino’s social media videos.

This is one of the main avenues to improve coffee quality, but mostly geared toward large-scale producers. These are the ones with an entire chain connecting research centers, processing industries, and public institutions, with the main focus on export. The Venezuelan government has identified coffee as an export staple as it searches for new sources of foreign income. Nevertheless, though the export priority has permeated communal initiatives, this policy is mostly geared toward agribusiness corporations, built on their logic of accumulation and profiting from the effort of small and midsize producers.

This does not mean that small-scale campesinos cannot improve bean quality and export their harvests. There are already positive precedents in that regard. However, there is no comprehensive policy to support their efforts and expand grassroots initiatives.

In contrast, land hoarding is on the rise, with ever more huge plantations. These are presented as necessary to improve productivity and quality, so as to yield foreign currency from exports and contribute to “prosperity.” This trend marks a significant shift in the coffee-producing environment and can put small producers, their production techniques, their livelihoods, and shrinking land at risk. Even more so if the established harvest prices are not upheld.

Gerardo Rojas is a Venezuelan activist and photographer based in Barquisimeto, Lara State. He belongs to communications collective Voces Urgentes and was a founding member of the Ataroa Commune in Barquisimeto. He also served as communal economy vice-minister. Rojas has written extensively about popular power in Venezuela, including the book Chávez y la Democracia Socialista (CEDES, 2025).

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.

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BANGOR, Maine — Ever the optimist, Speaker Mike Johnson said he believes Republicans will hold on to their U.S. House majority, defying a surge of Democratic momentum in the final stretch of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

It’s the crowds he says he’s seeing as he crosses the country campaigning for GOP candidates. The caliber of recruits and incumbents he calls workhorses, not show horses. And the nearly half a billion he has raised for House Republicans.

He also has faith.

“We run to win, and that’s biblical: You run to win,” he told the Associated Press during a campaign stop in Maine.

“And I believe that we will.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, applauds along with President JD Vance as President Trump delivers his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in February in Washington.

(Andrew Harnik / Getty Images)

The speaker of the House is one of the most consequential elected officials in the United States, second in line of succession to the president. While Johnson quipped to Fox News recently that he may return to his hometown of Shreveport, La., to start a lawn care business if Republicans lose power on Nov. 3, he fully expects to buck an American midterm tradition that often sees the president’s party dumped in Congress.

It can be said that Johnson, who has drawn so close to President Trump that he routinely fields 1 a.m. calls — they spoke the night before as Trump rallied in Alaska — walks on the sunny side of the street. That’s despite voter frustration over high prices and the Iran war, and his own challenge of leading one of narrowest House majorities in modern times.

In his three years as speaker, Johnson has pushed past the doubters and naysayers, holding his thread-thin GOP majority together to deliver Trump’s agenda. He notably led passage of the big tax breaks and social service cuts bill. Most days he does not have a single vote to spare.

“So many times everybody had written off, there was no way he was going to be able to pull off a particular vote,” said Republican Rep. Mark Harris of North Carolina, who joined the speaker on the campaign swing. “Yet he always seems to pull out the win in the end.”

In the interview, Johnson did not speak brashly about expanding the House majority on election day, as he has in the past. But on track to visit more than 20 states and 40 congressional districts though November, he said the political mood reminds him of the 2024 election that swept Republicans to control of Congress and the White House.

“It’s not going to be a giant majority,” he said. “But I genuinely believe that we will have a working majority.”

Emboldened by Trump

Johnson first fell into the speaker’s job almost by accident, a desperate choice by his GOP colleagues after a contingent of renegade Republicans ousted his predecessor, then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California in 2023.

Johnson had been a lower-level member of House leadership, but distinguished himself before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by organizing support for Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in the election that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

In the time since, Johnson has secured proximity to Trump’s power. He joined Trump at a UFC fight in New York and once gifted the president a speaker’s gavel as Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law. It was a symbolic act, but one that critics saw as giving away the authority of a coequal branch of government.

More recently, Johnson abruptly sent lawmakers home early rather than face a vote forced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as lawmakers tried to halt the Iran war, which has not been authorized by Congress.

Over coffee in Bangor, after rallying for House candidate Paul LePage, a former governor, Johnson brushed back criticism that Congress has eroded under his watch as Trump works to amass executive power.

“Absolute nonsense,” Johnson said.

“We did not yield Article 1 authority to the president,” he said, referring to the powers spelled out in the Constitution. “We used our own,” he said, to muscle GOP priorities past Democratic opposition.

Trump agenda at risk

Johnson has focused the election on Democrats he portrays as “communists.” A handful of far-left liberals, backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, are on the ballot.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader who is in line for the speaker’s gavel if his party sweeps to power, is preparing a first-100 days agenda for when the new Congress convenes in January, if there is a change in control.

What the Republicans will do if they retain power is less defined.

“Lots of plans,” Johnson said, “along the same course of what we’ve been doing — less taxes, less regulation.”

Trump “wants to go big for his legacy,” he said. “We have big things on the horizon that we can do.”

The president has essentially purged the House GOP ranks of those perceived to be disloyal. Among them are Massie, who lost his primary, and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who retired early after breaking with Trump over release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Pressed how he would keep Republicans in line, Johnson said he is preparing to change the House rules if he returns as speaker.

“There’s going to be some changes that are going to make the machinery work smoother,” he said.

Praying for the speaker, and the country

Faith has often been strong among House leaders. Two former speakers, Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich are Catholics, as is John Boehner, who invited Pope Francis to address Congress.

Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer who was first elected alongside Trump in 2016, is expected to win his own reelection next month.

“My faith is a huge component of how I think and how I act and what I do,” said Johnson, who led a public prayer on the National Mall as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

He is drinking lots of coffee these days, he said, cutting back on the Celsius, and still has 1,413 unread text messages, a slight dip from the frightful number reported a few months ago by the Wall Street Journal.

One text is from someone praying for him.

Johnson said he is grateful for the outpouring of prayers he receives, for him and the country.

“I pray for God’s will. And I believe God’s will is for us — and not the communists — to be in charge of America,” Johnson said.

“And it does say in the New Testament, you run the race to win,” he said, citing 1 Corinthians 9:24. “This is a biblical admonition. So we will.”

Mascaro writes for the Associated Press.

Karina Longworth loves Los Angeles for all its quirks and charms.

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, the film critic, author and journalist has made a career out of celebrating her city. Her podcast “You Must Remember This,” about “the secret and/or forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century,” has spent 21 seasons diving into the intricacies of the movie industry, from lauded stars to undersung production designers. (Its new season, “The Bisexuals,” tells the story of singer turned actor Libby Holman, whose love life would later intersect with the now-famously queer screen star Montgomery Clift.)

In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.

She’s also fiercely loyal to the hangouts and haunts she grew up frequenting.

“Until they closed down three or four years ago, my favorite Indian restaurant was this place in Studio City on Ventura Place called Gangadin,” she says. “That was the only place I would order from, and I have not been able to find an Indian spot that I like since just because I’m comparing it to Gangadin, which probably wasn’t even the most authentic or the best. It’s just what I had been eating for 30 years.”

Here’s how Longworth would spend her perfect Sunday in L.A., from a stroll down Mulholland Drive to grabbing a cup of frozen yogurt with a cinematic spin.

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

9 a.m.: Get up and grab a latte

I try to sleep as late as possible, but the older I get, the harder it is to actually sleep in. Ideally on a perfect Sunday, I would sleep until 9. It doesn’t always happen, but I try.

My favorite place to get coffee in L.A. is Kings Road Cafe. I’ve been going there since the ‘90s, and I still think they have the best coffee in Los Angeles. It’s very strong and they give you a large portion, and I find that you rarely get both of those things in L.A. (I like a coffee that can last me multiple hours.) I’ll usually get an almond milk latte — iced if it’s warm out, hot if it’s not.

10 a.m.: A Laurel Canyon hike

Probably what I’d do next is go over to Laurel Canyon. I built my recording studio in a tiny house at the end of a cul-de-sac in Laurel Canyon a few years ago, and I really like hiking around there. So I’d drive up, park there, and then walk up Laurel Pass to the Nancy Hoover Pohl Overlook.

The first half of that walk is really tough because it’s just straight uphill until you get to Mulholland, but I like it because it’s not a hiking trail, so it’s not dusty and there aren’t that many people. There’s an element of solitude and quiet to it, and I love that the end of it is all downhill so you can just kind of run down and get it over with.

Growing up in the Valley, I always romanticized Mulholland Drive, which was always quote-unquote “over the hill.” There’s something about manifesting and then realizing my ideal adult life that I can come to understand by standing at the overlook and looking at the other side, remembering when I dreamed of living where I do now.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Valley wasn’t what it is now. There wasn’t an Alfred Coffee or anything like that. It was a few years behind the times compared to Hollywood or Beverly Hills, where all the cool stuff that I wanted to do was usually happening. All the good record stores, all the good bookstores and movie theaters.

I used to go to the Silent Movie Theater when I was a teenager or the Beverly Cinema, which is now the New Beverly. I’d go to the Nuart all the time, too. I saw a lot of important movies at the Sunset Five, which is now called the Landmark Sunset [Hollywood] and isn’t going to be showing the 2026 equivalent of “Gummo.” I think being in the Valley just felt like being in the Los Angeles version of suburbia and so it was like, “I’ve got to get out of here and go to where things are actually happening.”

11:30 a.m.: An old favorite

After that walk, I’ll go back to my place in Laurel Canyon to have a shower and get dressed and then it’s off to Art’s Deli on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, which is a place that I’ve been going to since 1987. I had friends that worked there in high school, too, so I was there almost every day having matzo ball soup and coffee.

There used to be a lot more really good delis in L.A. My favorite actually was Solley’s in Sherman Oaks, where I used to go with my grandfather. I’ve never had white fish salad that’s better than what they had at Solley’s, but Art’s Deli is good, too. I really like their knishes, or I’ll get a half-sandwich and soup. I’d probably do turkey on rye with mustard, but with coleslaw and Russian dressing on the side so I can add small amounts when I want. That and a cup of split pea soup.

1 p.m.: Sweet treats

Ideally after lunch, I’ll get dessert at Humphrey Yogart. It’s sort of a funny joke that I’ve become this classic movie person and there’s this frozen yogurt place inspired by the name Humphrey Bogart, but I’ve actually been eating Humphrey Yogart since before I knew who Humphrey Bogart was.

They take frozen yogurt — sweet or tart — add mix-ins, and then put it in this crazy blender that’s like a giant drill with a handle that comes down. I like to do sort of a fake Cherry Garcia with cherries and some kind of nut, but they also have an option called Killer Chocolate where they take plain tart yogurt and add a dark chocolate syrup, which I really like. I’ll add orange and espresso to that, and sometimes I’ll have them put sprinkles on top because sprinkles are amazing.

2 p.m.: Movie magic

I love to go to the movies. On Sundays at the Los Feliz Three, they do something called “Sunday Print Edition” where they show a 35mm print and have somebody come and talk about it, which is always cool. Or if there’s a festival happening at the Egyptian or something I wanted to see at Vidiots, maybe I’d do that.

I think the Egyptian is probably my favorite movie theater in L.A. It’s historic, it’s beautiful inside, and I find that the projection and programming are both very good. It’s also close to where I live so that’s convenient and, assuming they’re open, you can go have a drink or food at Musso and Frank after, which is perfect.

4 p.m.: Dodgers and drinks

Usually on Sundays, the Dodgers play at 1 o’clock, but if it’s a nationally broadcast game sometimes it’ll be on at 4 o’clock. If that’s the case, then I’d like to go to Colombo’s to sit at the bar, have a drink, and watch some of the game.

I think I’d have either a vodka martini, a Manhattan on the rocks, or maybe a glass of wine. Colombo’s is my favorite place to watch a Dodger game that’s not a sports bar. I don’t really love sports bars anyway, but if it’s a big World Series game maybe I’d go somewhere in Koreatown that’s more sporty to watch. But for sitting in a dark bar to watch an hour and a half of a game while you have one or two drinks, Colombo’s is perfect.

6 p.m. Dinner at Da Prato

Right now, I really like Da Prato, which is run by this chef Elisa Da Prato, and she’s calling it a supper club. It’s in this strange almost-loft space on 2nd Street downtown, and I’ve been there three times since early July. Each time it’s gotten busier and busier, too, so I think word of mouth is growing.

She just makes very beautiful traditional but artistically done Italian food. Everything is homemade, and it’s very L.A., but at the same time, it feels like you stumbled into some small place in an alleyway in Rome because it’s informal and they only have a small staff. It’s such a great experience, but you have to think of it in a European way because it’s not a place where you’re going to get in and out in 45 minutes. You’re going to have several courses, you’re going to linger over your food, order a couple bottles of wine, and everything’s going to be very relaxed and wonderful.

If I can’t go to Da Prato or if I need a more “special occasion” place, I’d do Jacaranda, which was started by chef Daniel Patterson and his wife, Sarah Lewitinn. I’ve been internet friends with Sarah for 15 to 20 years, so I went a couple times when they were doing it as a pop-up in their house, and now I’ve gone once since they opened the official restaurant. I’m not normally a tasting menu person because some places it can feel like too much food, but Daniel’s cooking is so phenomenal and you can absolutely manage to eat all 12 courses without feeling like you want to die.

10 p.m.: Skincare and sleep

After dinner, I’d head home and maybe take a little walk to burn off dinner a bit. Otherwise, it’s time for my nighttime routine, which is boring middle-aged lady stuff like skincare and taking magnesium. I try to be asleep by 10, but oftentimes the only time I really have to read a novel or to read for pleasure is in the 10 minutes before bed. So I’ll read a physical book or my Kindle or put on a show that I’ve seen 1,000 times if I just need something to fall asleep.