We are committed to work directly with small farmers cooperatives in a long term.
We visit the coop at least once a year. Here you can find an overview of the coops we worked with over the last years.
Ethiopia, cooperative Taramesa
Taramesa is part of SCFCU (Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union) – short Sidama Union. As in Ethiopia, the coffee trade is nationalized, it is only possible by means of the Sidama Union to conclude contracts with the cooperatives. The Sidama Union works very transparent and gives technical and financial support for the coops.
Location: District of Shebedino, Sidama
Processing: Arabica, natural
Website: www.sidamacoffee.com
Ethiopia, cooperative Shilicho
The cooperative owns a wet-mill, drying beds, and a small warehouse to store dried coffee before it is shipped to Addis Abeba for the dry mill. Shilicho is one of the 42 cooperatives members of Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (SCFCU). SCFCU team is located in a dry-mill facility in Addis Abeba. The Union supports the cooperatives to establish direct and sustainable relationships with international buyers, and to set up processing practices along the value chain to ensure quality improvement.
Location: District of Darra, Sidama
Processing: Arabica, fully washed
Website: www.sidamacoffee.com
India, cooperative Organic Wayanad
The farmer family practice a highly bio-diverse, small-scale cropping system with among other coffee, spices like pepper, gloves, nutmeg and ginger, fruit trees and vegetables. This system is based on traditional scientifically improved practices, called zero budget farming. They apply manure from local cow varieties, vermi-compost, neem cake etc. regularly at the onset of South West Monsoon in June. Berry borer is a major pest of Robusta coffee and it is effectively managed by adopting integrated methods like clean harvest, use of mats during harvest to prevent gleanings (fallen cherries) and keeping traps in the farms.
With the start of its co-operation with ROASTERS UNITED in 2014, Organic Wayanad started a centralized eco-friendly coffee processing which since then has been constantly improved. ROASTERS UNITED supported this process with knowledge transfer, technical support and financial assistance. The resulting washed Robusta coffee is exclusively reserved ROASTERS UNITED and counts apparently among of the best organic Robusta coffees in the world.
Location: State of Kerala, District of Wayanad
Processing: Canephora (Var. robusta, CxR), (semi-)washed
Website: www.iofpcl.com
Sumatra, cooperative Permata Gayo
The cooperative started as a group of 50 founding members and now has over 2.000 members in 36 different villages, located in the region Bener Meriah. Permata Gayo is one of the few cooperatives in Sumatra who strive consistently democratic governance and fight corruption. The quality control is improving from year to year and a nursery, compost plants and improved processing facilities were installed. For the “lean months” between harvests, the cooperative provides programs to ensure sufficient supplies for the members.
Location: Gayo Highland Region – Bener Meriah
Processing: Arabica, washed
Guatemala, cooperative ADEBIPROM
The members of ADEBIPROM (Asociacion De Desarollo Bienestar y Pro – Mejoramiento) speak the Maya language Mam and live at the foot of the highest mountain of Central America, the “Tajumulco”, a no longer active volcano, which is 4,220m high. In the past, the 120 producers were members of another cooperative. But the long distances between the individual producers have made frequent meetings impossible: “The landscape does not offer the best conditions for transparency and democracy”. Therefore they moved closer together and founded the smaller ADEBIPROM in 2016. In 2019 we realized our first import with Manos Campesinas.
Location: Tajumulco, San Marcos
Processing: Arabica, washed
Website: www.manoscampesinas.org
Peru, cooperative Cenfrocafe
Location: Jaén, Cajamarca
Processing: Arabica, washed
Website: www.cenfrocafe.com.pe
Honduras, cooperative Aprolma
In a country where women’s rights are constantly being disregarded and which has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, a women’s cooperative is particularly concerned with health and social issues. Like many other cooperatives around Marcala, Aprolma has a central processing plant where the harvested coffee cherries are delivered and then processed together. When the coffee cherries are delivered, the women receive a first partial payment. That’s why our pre- financing is so important.
Region: Marcala, Chinacla and San Jose
Varieties: Catuai, Bourbon, Typica, Lempira Processing: Arabica, washed, manual harvest and sorting
Website: www.facebook.com/APROLMA/
Honduras, cooperative Combrifol
On average, the members cultivate between 1 and 4 hectares of coffee, corn, beans and fruits. The cooperative offers many workshops and education in the social sector, but also in organic farming and agriculture. We have been working with Combrifol since 2016 and together we improve the quality of the coffee every year.
Region: Nahuaterique, Marcala, Yarula and Santa Elena
Varieties: Catuai, Bourbon, Typica, Lempira, Pache
Website: www.combrifol.blogspot.de/
Colombia, cooperative Fondo Paez
Varieties: Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Colombia
Processing: Arabica, Fully washed
Brazil, cooperative COOPFAM
Eventhough not all their coffee is organic certified, Roasters United buys only organic coffee from them, trying to support this sustainable style of farming. In the Coop there is a strong sense of community and within their structure they have different projects to support the people in Poço Fundo. One outstanding producer group is their womens’ farmer group MOBI that produces excellent coffees.
Region: Poço Fundo, Minas Gerais
Processing: Arabica, natural
Website: www.coopfam.com.br
Nicaragua, cooperative Las Diosas
Region: Esteli
Processing: Arabica, washed
Website: