Mixteca Alta - Cooperativa Mixteca Alta del Pacífico

Mixteca Alta del Pacifico is an organic coffee cooperative in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico, where the humidity and altitude present the ideal conditions for growing coffee. The Mixteca region is home to the indigenous Mixteca and Zapoteca people who have managed to retain their own culture and language throughout centuries of incursion by foreigners. Following their tradition of culture perseverance and independence, indigenous members founded Mixteca, a 100 percent indigenous cooperative, in 1990. The cooperative produces organic coffee beans and have been experimenting with ways to alleviate soil erosion and naturally increase crop yields. In 2007, Mixteca became Fair Trade Certified in order to gain better prices for their farmers with direct access to U.S. and European markets, and to maintain their cultural identity and autonomy by becoming economically self- sufficient. The small cooperative continues to be committed to equality, with almost 50 percent of members being women and Fair Trade premiums distributed equally among producers.