Producer Profiles

COOPCAFER - Cooperativa Departamental Caficultores Risaralda

COOPCAFER, or the Cooperativa Departamental de Caficultores Risaralda, worker-owned and administered coffee organization in Colombia. It was formed to collectively produce and distribute goods and services for its associates and the communities in which they operate. Their mission is to guarantee the commercialization of coffee at a just price and offer complementary social development programs. Having gone through many changes, in structure and names since the late 1950’s, COOPCAFER came into its current form in 1994. Today, an estimated 3,495 people are members of the organization, with 17 agencies and 16 shops in the department of Risaralda, Colombia.
 

Quotable

“

Fair Trade programs have constructed several septic tanks to avoid contaminating water sources –springs, streams and brooks. They have also improved our schools. These are really good programs, not only for our education but also for our health.  ”

Eudoro Echeverri Mejía
“

In my family, we had the opportunity to get a scholarship so our eldest son could study. He went to Bogotá, the capital, for a University degree. He was there five semesters – all of which the association helped us finance.  ”

Evelio Aguirre Tapasco
“

More than anything, with the training courses the certifiers gives us, one learns a lot. This is a program that never finishes because it’s like a staircase. One keeps on learning more every day, and we’re improving our coffee technology, changing our coffee varieties with the recommendations provided. Day by day, the quality has been better and we’re managing the coffee better. Someone with old coffee plants can plant new ones that will produce better quality coffee, harvested by his family’s hands. We are moving forward, advancing in all these ways slowly.  ”

Gabriel Angel Vargas Rodriguez

Programs

Coffee Specialty Tours and Training

The cooperative sponsors coffee quality tours where coffee specialists advise members on how to improve the quality of their product. They also give trainings on how to safely and efficiently manage pesticides, as well as on the correct use of protective equipment and gear.

Women's Coffee Cultivation Programs

The cooperative implemented a leadership training program for female members. In 2006, a woman's group made community germinators that benefited more than 150 coffee growers. They have also repaired and calibrated more than 300 de-pulping machines.