Producer Profiles

CAC Pangoa - Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa

The Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa (CAC Pangoa) is a cooperative of small coffee farmers located in San Martín de Pangoa, Peru. The majority of co-op members cultivate coffee plots between five and ten hectares. The cooperative promotes strong leadership and gender equality. The General Manager, Esperanza Dionisio Castillo, is well-known for her impressive cooperative management skills. The cooperative has been exporting its coffee to the European Fair Trade market since it became Fair Trade Certified in 2001. In 2003, CAC Pangoa made its first sale to the US market.
 

Quotable

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With the Fair Trade Price, we hope to increase our organic production so we can improve and conserve our soil and as a result, increase our productivity. With increased revenues from Fair Trade sales, we plan to improve all technical aspects of our production.  ”

Esperanza Castillo, General Manager

Programs

Scholarship Program for Children

Using portions of the Fair Trade premium, CAC Pangoa has set up a scholarship program for members' children.

Organic Agriculture and Preserving Nature

The cooperative has accomplished a growing conscience amongst its members in preserving nature and keeping the Pangoa Valley green and full of life; the perfect place to produce natural, high-quality coffee. These communities use agro forestry systems to produce their cocoa, generating labor and income for their villages without depreciating the forests they inherited from their ancestors. About 103 Pangoa producers participate in the organic cocoa program and 80 percent are already organic certified organic with the rest in transition.

Health Fund and Preventive Care

The cooperative has designated portions of the Fair Trade premium to a health fund because there is no health insurance for farmers in Peru. This fund lends money to members without charging interest in the case of medical emergencies. If necessary, a professional health practitioner will remain on duty to ensure patients receive treatment. The cooperative also has an agreement with a local pharmacy so members can obtain medicine and pay the pharmacy back at a later date. The cooperative consistently organizes medical check-ups and disease prevention programs for the entire Pangoa community.