The Shilanga Agricultural Marketing Cooperative and Society (AMCOS) was founded on August 6, 1993, though back then it only received home-processed parchment from its members. In 2013, however, the group purchased a Penagos pulper and began producing washed coffees that have continued to increase in quality. A total of 193 read more
In 1975, 228 coffee producers and their families (including 30 women producers) began working and selling coffee together under the name Cooperativea Agrícola Uníon y Fuerza (CAUFUL). In 2002, they were officially recognized as a cooperative, and that same year, as a group they purchased a 40-manzana (nearly 70-acre) farm—a read more
The Rahmat Kinara cooperative was founded in March 2007 with just a small group of farmers. Quickly, they came to see the benefits of certifications, “especially Fairtrade,” they say, and became Fairtrade certified in 2014. Today, the co-op employs 20 permanent staff members (who oversee quality control and other functions) read more
Colombia Tolima is currently purchased from one of three cooperatives. Additionally, the coffee is available with Organic and Fairtrade Organic certifications. (Check with your trader for cooperative and certification details.) ASOBRIS The ASOBRIS producer association (or, Asociacion de Productores Agricolas Ecologicos y Pecuarios Brisas del Quebradon) reaches 25 villages in read more
The ASOBRIS producer association (or, Asociacion de Productores Agricolas Ecologicos y Pecuarios Brisas del Quebradon) reaches 25 villages in the municipality of Planadas, at the foot of the snow-peaked Nevado del Huila, the highest volcano in Colombia. The association incorporated in 2013 and currently has 42 members. It’s an excited read more
Campesinos Ecológicos de La Sierra Madre de Chiapas, or CESMACH, is a cooperative uniting more than 700 small producers from 37 communities and four municipalities. Most members' farm lands abut the Triunfo Biosphere Reserve—a magnificent, protected mountain range and wildlife sanctuary that's home to endangered flora and fauna, a cloud forest and read more
In Costa Rica's Central Valley, Hacienda Sonora sits at the foot of the active Poás Volcano. On this 100-hectare farm, 65 hectares are dedicated to shade coffee, 10 hectares to sugarcane and 25 hectares are wild forest reserve. Alberto Guardia began growing coffee at Hacienda Sonora 45 years ago. His read more
UPDATE: Shantawene has won 7th place (from more than 1,400 entries) in the 2020 Cup of Excellence in Ethiopia! In 2006, brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo founded Daye Bensa, a coffee grower and exporter in Ethiopia. Daye Bensa exports coffee from its farm, in the Shantawene Village, as well as read more
The Asociación de Productores Ecologicós de Planadas, or ASOPEP, is a group of 162 smallholder specialty producers in Planadas, South Tolima, Colombia. Each producer farms an average of 2.5 hectares, between 1,650 and 2,100 meters. The cooperative’s beans are certified Organic and Fair Trade, and some members have produced microlots read more
In the Guji Zone of the Shakiso District, Kayon Mountain Farm rises from 1,900 to 2,200 meters. The farm grows heirloom Typica trees under organic, EU NOP & JAS, and Café Practice certifications. They are also working toward certification in Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance. After harvest, cherries are machine read more
