Nicaragua declares November 13 as National Coffee Day

Nicaragua will celebrate the National Coffee Day every November 13th. This is established by Presidential Decree No. 12-2026, signed by Co-President Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Co-President Rosario Murillo Zambrana on October 28, 2026, and published in La Gaceta, Official Gazette No. 199 on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in the Government House section, page 10658.

The decree, issued by the Presidency of the Republic under the seal of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity, is based on the powers conferred by the Political Constitution and is accompanied by formal recognition of the Denomination of Origin and the Geographical Indications of Nicaraguan coffee. The regulation comes into effect upon its publication, according to Article 6, which orders its publication in La Gaceta, Official Gazette.

The recitals of the decree position coffee as a “natural and cultural product originating from Ethiopia” that arrived in the country through expeditions of European settlers since the 19th century, and describe it as an “economic, social, and cultural” livelihood that is part of the national identity. The text also states that the harvest begins throughout the country in the first days of October and that Nicaraguan beans have obtained international awards and honors for their excellence, varieties, cultivation methods, and quality.

Celebrations in educational and cultural institutions

Article 1 declares November 13th of each year as “National Coffee Day” and stipulates that productive, educational, artistic, and cultural institutions carry out celebrations and activities aimed at “promoting and enhancing the importance of the golden bean” as part of the life of Nicaraguan families.

Article 4 obliges the involved entities to establish programs and strategies to disseminate the history, memory, and economic, social, and artistic expressions related to coffee culture.

Denomination of Origin and collective intellectual property

Article 2 recognizes the establishment of the Denomination of Origin and the Geographical Indications of Nicaraguan coffee, based on technical, natural, edaphological, climatic, and altitude conditions, as well as the cultivation, harvesting, and processing practices that confer distinctive qualities of quality, flavor, and aroma.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Promotion, Industry, and Commerce, together with other competent institutions, must promote, protect, and strengthen these figures as a mechanism for the protection of collective intellectual property, the valuation of geographical origin, and the positioning of coffee in national and international markets.

The list of obligated entities

Article 3 lists the institutions that will propose and carry out activities to protect, conserve, and safeguard the richness and diversity of coffee in all its varieties and materials:

• Ministry of Education
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship
• Nicaraguan Tourism Institute
• Institute for Agricultural Protection and Health
• Nicaraguan Institute of Agricultural Technology
• Institute of Cultures of Peoples and Youth
• Procurator’s Office for Municipalities
• Secretariat of Creative and Orange Economy of the Presidency of the Republic
• Council of University Rectors, municipal governments, universities, educational centers, coffee museums, municipal and community museums, and public libraries

The same Article 5 extends the mandate to Nicaraguan embassies, which must carry out activities to promote and project coffee within the national culture, highlighting history, identity, awards, and honors.

A sector with prior legal backing

The decision adds to the current framework of Law No. 853, “Law for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Growing,” which created the Fund for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Growing (FTDC) and the National Program for the Transformation and Development of Coffee Growing (PNTDC), oriented toward credit, technical assistance, infrastructure, training, and technology.

The declaration of November 13 obliges ministries, mayoralties, universities, and embassies to deploy annual activities, with a direct impact on the school calendar and the country’s tourism promotion, and turns the defense of the bean’s origin into a permanent State policy.

Source: La Gaceta, Official Gazette No. 199, Thursday, October 29, 2026, Government House section, p. 10658 (official reference: Presidential Decree No. 12-2026).