Our house decaf is a multiple-origin blend named in honor of that lovely blue flower that blooms before sunrise, is vibrant all day and calls it quits by sundown. The 19th century poet Elizabeth Akers Allen wrote of the morning glory: “ … your fragile cups unfold Before the light read more
In 1992, with help from organizers affiliated with the Catholic church, 359 coffee producers came together to form the Comunidades Indigenas de la Region de Simojovel de Allende, S.S.S. (CIRSA) association. Within a few years, CIRSA had earned Organic and Fairtrade certification. More recently, it was able to purchase land read more
Approximately 3,000 farming families are part of the Central Fronteriza del Norte de Cafetaleros (CENFROCAFE), a cooperative that offers members access to training, financing and agronomy advice aimed at increasing yields and quality—with the aim of increasing producers’ earnings. The cooperative also gives each member extraordinarily more power and market read more
In Ethiopia, the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is a farmer-owned cooperative with members from across the Oromia Regional State, which accounts for 65 percent of the country’s total coffee-growing land. The OCFCU was established in 1999, with 34 small cooperative as members, to facilitate the direct export of read more
In Western Honduras, the Agricultural Cooperative Cafetalera San Antonio Limited (COAGRICSAL) is an organization of coffee, cocoa and pepper producers that was formed in 1998 with 32 members. The group has since grown to more than 1,500 member families and continues to grow each year. COAGRICSAL is committed to social 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
The 124 women members of APROCCURMA (Asociacion de Productores Cafetaleros de la Cuenca del Rio Marañon) are to thank for this bright and lively certified Fairtrade Organic coffee. APROCCURMA was formed in 2012 with the goal of improving local producers' quality of life, and these 124 women represent 30 percent read more
