Farmer Partners
We partner directly with small-scale coffee farmers around the globe to bring the best fair trade and organic beans back to our roastery.
KODUKAK - Rwanda
KODUKAK, short for Koperative Dutezimbere Kawa Kigeyo, is a coffee cooperative in Rwandaβs Kigeyo region, near the shores of Lake Kivu. The cooperative began in 2006, when 257 coffee farmers joined together to collect and process coffee cherries with a shared goal: improving the quality of coffee from Kigeyo. They officially became a registered cooperative in 2015 and received Fair Trade certification in early 2016. Today, the co-op includes nearly 1,000 farmer members, about one-third of whom are women. Its members grow coffee in the highlands around Lake Kivu, a region known for volcanic terrain, high elevations, and a long tradition of specialty coffee production. KODUKAK is also part of COOPAC, an umbrella cooperative founded in 2001 that supports thousands of farmers across Rwandaβs Western Province. Through COOPAC, they receive support with processing, quality control, and sales, helping connect small-scale farmers in Kigeyo with coffee drinkers around the world.
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Caficauca - Colombia
The Cooperative of Coffee Farmers of Cauca (Caficauca) is a cooperative in the department of Cauca that supports its members in building a better future through coffee insteadΒ of coca. Caficauca started in 1961 when 297 farmers met in the central park of PopayΓ‘n, Caucaβs capital. They wanted to find a better price for their coffee and believed they would be stronger if they worked together. Today, the co-op has over 3,200 members and buys coffee from more than 44,000 small-scale producers across 24 towns in the region.Β Β Caficauca supports its members to replace coca plants with coffee.Β Coca can be a common way to earn a living, it also can bring violence and fear to communities. The coop also supports women and young producers in the region. Nearly one-third of the members are women, and many are involved in leadership roles. Caficauca is also working to keep young people in coffee by showing it can offer a real future. Through training in quality control, cupping, entrepreneurship, and more, theyβre helping the next generation find new opportunities in the industry.Β
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Kokowagayo - Indonesia
Kokowagayo is the first all female coffee cooperative in Sumatra. Established in 2014, they are located in the Gayo Mountain region in the Aceh Province. The role of women in coffee production has always been very important as they are involved in each step - from farm maintenance to processing coffee for export. After acquiring this expertise, a group of women decided to create a βwomen onlyβ cooperative of coffee farmers. Their goals are to increase the income and quality of life for members and their families through agriculture and the coffee trade, and to improve member's financial management skills. Each member of the womenβs cooperative is the acknowledged manager of her familyβs coffee farm.
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Palmas del Paramo - Peru
This cooperative is located in northern Peru in Cajamarca, a region where spectacular coffees are grown at high elevation in a range of microclimates. In the past, growers would sell their coffee to middle-men at unfair prices or in exchange for groceries. In response, a group of producers decided to organize so that they could sell their coffee in a way that would allow them to receive a higher income. Palmas del Paramo is a small organization full of energy and dynamism.Β
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SCFCU - Ethiopia
Founded in 2001, the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU) represents 53 cooperatives and over 70,000 small-scale farmer families in southern Ethiopia. SCFCU provides financial, technical, and marketing support to its members, producing approximately 10,000 tons of organic arabica coffee annually. Shade-grown under indigenous trees and enset, their washed coffee is known for bright acidity, fruity flavors, and balanced body, while natural process coffee offers rich, full-bodied profiles with candied fruit notes. Learn more
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COMUCAP - Honduras
COMUCAP, or the Coordinadora de Mujeres Campesinas de La Paz, is a cooperative located in La Paz, Honduras. Before COMUCAP was founded in 2002, men owned the land and made most of the business and production decisions for the region, though women did much of the work. The women got tired of depending on their fathers and husbands for economic survival, and struggled for equal opportunities to succeed. With the encouragement of a German NGO, one of COMUCAP's founder began a radio program for women called "Siempre Vivas." In her words, the problem at that time was that, as women, "We were worthless. We only existed to take orders. We were trapped within four walls." Her audience consisted of many women who didn't own land and who were sometimes victims of domestic violence in addition to grinding poverty. The women realized that their problem was economic, and began to look for ways to earn their own money for themselves and their families. Since most of the women had worked on coffee farms as laborers, they decided to start a coffee farm. Their initialΒ farming venture proved unsuccessful in growing coffee, but fortuitousΒ in producing aloe vera, wine, and honey. With the savings from the sale of these products the women purchased land better suited for coffee production. The association is now well organized and exports high-quality coffee. They own one hundred hectares, as well as a wet mill, drying patios, and a compost production plant. Thanks to the success of the association, many of the women have been able to purchase their own land, perpetuating economic stability, freedom, and breaking a cycle of abuse. Sustainable Harvest Info Source
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COSURCA - Colombia
COSURCA is a secondary-level cooperative currently comprised of eleven producer associations, one cooperative, and three territorial entities or municipalities from the Southern Colombian Macizo mountains in the center and south of the region of Cauca. Since its inception, COSURCA has followed seven core values: Solidarity, Cooperation, Responsibility, Honesty, Hard work, Social Engagement, and Respect for individuals and Nature. Currently, COSURCA is providing accompaniment and support in the technical, organizational, commercial, political, and judicial development of 1500 small farmer families, with an emphasis on organic and fair trade coffee production, food security, and self-sufficiency for communities through the production of staple crops, as well as the production and commercialization of tropical fruits for pulp and juices. COSURCA exports fair trade coffee to small and medium wholesale coffee roasters but also manages its own line of wholesale roasted coffee for the domestic market. As a fundamental tenet of its philosophy of economic development, COSURCA strives to be as inclusive as possible by engaging ethnic minority groups and women in the different projects it implements in its communities. Learn more
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Triunfo Verde - Mexico
Triunfo Verde, S.C. is a cooperative organization comprised of over 500 organized small farmers dedicated to organic farm practices in the buffer zone surrounding the El Triunfo biological reserve. Through ecologically friendly practices, they seek to foment conservation, offset land and resource degradation in the area, and promote the recovery of natural resources and local biodiversity. Its mission is to improve member livelihoods by selling high-quality organic coffee in markets that value and reward the effort behind growing an ecologically friendly product at a fair price. As environmental stewards, Triunfo Verde seeks that its members remain actively engaged in environmental education. Through their technical and agronomic accompaniment, farmers receive the necessary training and education to develop their households into productive campesino enterprises capable of generating sustainable economic development in communities. All business operations, from the collection and commercialization of coffee to technical assistance, financial and productive assistance, community development, and product diversification, are managed inclusively and democratically. They advocate for gender and racial equality and religious freedom as founding principles of this cooperative. Ultimately, the organizationβs mission is to develop and demonstrate that agriculture can be compatible with rational resource use, promoting the social and economic development of underserved communities. They aim to improve humankindβs relationship with nature through feasible and ecologically sound means, with social justice at its core. Learn more
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