Just Coffee

Fast Facts on Santa Anita

• 32 Families representing about 170 people
• All ex-combatants of Guat Revolutionary Unity
• Annual Production - 40,000 pounds of coffee
• All coffee, bananas are organic
• Founded in 1998, Joined FLO register in 2001
• Altitude of finca is approximately 4,000 ft
• Future Plans – Pay off debt, dev other income

Popularly called "Santa Anita" or "Maya Civil", La Asociacion Civil Maya de Productores of Santa Anita is an organic coffee and banana producer cooperative located on Guatemala's Pacific slope between Quetzaltenango and Coatepeque at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet.

The association at Santa Anita is made up of 32 families of ex-combatants from the Guatemalan Revolutionary Unity or URNG. With the signing of the Peace Accords, the association was able to purchase an abandoned plantation in February of 1998. Working collectively, the members have recovered the land’s production capacity. Approximately 65% of the 130-acre holding is in coffee and banana production – the remaining acres are either too steep for any type of cultivation or have been left purposely in a natural state to conserve the existing ecology.
The cooperative's values reflect the URNG’s 36 year-long struggle to create a society based upon mutual respect and democracy. Now they are leading by example. Santa Anita has a "no-kill" environmental policy, which mandates that no indigenous animals within its confines can be killed. Additionally, their board of directors has to be composed of at least 50% women at all times. Free education and healthcare are provided to all of the community’s residents.
All coffee fruit is collected daily and depulped at the communal wet mill. The washed beans are then carried up a rather steep road to the drying patios located adjacent to the small village and the old plantation home which now serves as a guesthouse.
Projects in development at Santa Anita include an organic gardening initiative, the sale of their coffee into the local market through Cafe Conciencia, and a ecotourism hosting program, which enables visitors to learn how coffee can be grown in harmony with the natural environment. Santa Anita is rated HB, which means hard bean coffee grown at an altitude of 1300 to 1500 meters. They have been USDA Certified Organic by Mayacert since 2003 and are registered with the FLO Fair Trade Registry.
For more photos from Santa Anita, visit the photo gallery.
Updated 2006-3-12
Santa Anita Organic Certification 2006

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We work with the farmer cooperative, PPKGO.

Total Population – 217,131,000

Infant Mortality Rate – 33 per 1000

Life Expectancy – 67 years

GNI per Capita – US$710

Indonesia is as diverse as it is enormous. Hundreds of languages are spoken on the 17,000 islands that make up the world’s largest archipelago and Muslim country. This resource rich (including oil) nation gained its independence from the Netherlands following WWII and named Sukarno as it’s first independent president.

President Sukarno, a nationalist embattled leader, was eventually replaced by the much more pro-Western General Suharto. Suharto’s coming to power in 1965 was accompanied by the massacre of between 250,000 (CIA estimates) to 1 million (Amnesty International estimates) citizens. Afterwards corporations flocked to invest in Indonesia, and U.S. presidents as recent as Clinton heralded Suharto as “our kind of guy”. In 1997, as the Asian financial crisis hit, popular opposition to Suharto’s government grew bolder. The International Monetary Fund offered him a bail out plan, but when Suharto hesitated he fell out of favor with the West. Eventually he acquiesced but mass protests increased and Suharto resigned in favor of his vice president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.

“When President Suharto suggested Mr Habibie as his choice of vice president, the value of the Indonesian currency fell to an all-time low because of fears over (Habibie’s) eccentric economic theories,” the BBC reported at the time. “His appointment as president caused some alarm in business circles and dismayed those who wanted an end to the corruption and cronyism which characterized Mr Suharto's rule.”

During Habibie’s administration, ethnic and religious clashes, corruption scandals and violence crippled his capacity to rule. But culminating with the national state of crisis around the East Timor vote for independent, Habibie resigned power. After a relative calm was restored in 2000, Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of former President Sukarno, was named Indonesia’s first woman as President. But Sukarnoputri, riding on her father’s popularity more than her own attributes, faced a daunting task to bring the violence and the economic crisis under control, while at the same time abiding by the tight restructuring policies imposed by International Institutions.

The International Monetary Fund, to which Indonesia owes $10 billion, directed the country to: enhance non-oil tax revenues through broadening the tax base and strengthening tax administration; to cut down on the current "uncertainty to business" including arbitrary tax assessments, burdensome customs procedures and inefficiency in the refund systems; and to build a clear and competitive framework for labor relations as the "key to attracting investment” in labor-intensive industries needed to make progress in reducing unemployment.

But nowhere are the development needs of the common people taken into consideration. And now as Indonesia holds elections, Sukarnoputri is struggling to maintain her position.

Indonesia's general elections are amongst the world's most complicated. In April 2004, nearly 450,000 candidates competed for more than 15,000 national and regional offices. Already being dubbed “the year of voting frequently” - Indonesians went to the polls in April as a first step in a series of votes that should culminate in the country’s first-ever direct voter election of the President and Vice-President. Previously, the President and Vice-President were chosen by the MPR (People’s Consultative Council), comprised of members of Parliament and of un-elected representatives from other “functional groups” – including ranking officers of the Indonesian military, who many say hold the true political power in Indonesia.

Presidential elections were held July 20, but since no candidate won a majority, the top two candidates -- incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri and her former security minister, now Democratic Party candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono -- will compete in a run-off election September 20.

Aceh and Coffee Production
Of particular concern is Megawati’s position on Aceh. In April 2003, Human Rights Watch expressed concern about extra-judicial killings, forced disappearances and threats against civilians, human rights defenders and international cease-fire monitors in the province. In May 2003, Megawati decided to impose martial law on Aceh and Acehnese suddenly woke up to find themselves in the middle of Indonesia's largest war since the time of Suharto. Megawati is remembered as the only civilian president in the post-Suharto era to have returned Aceh to the Indonesian Military (TNI).

According to ForesTrade President Thomas Fricke, the 2003 Cooperative Coffees Spring visit was an unique window of opportunity to move about more or less freely in Aceh that was not seen in the years prior, nor has it been repeated since. Yet despite this backdrop, farmers continue to produce quality coffee and manage to get it to port.

The total land area under coffee cultivation is estimated at 1.1 million hectares, scattered over many islands of diverse geographical and ecological terrain. Smallholders account for some 90 percent of all production. The vast majority of exports are natural unwashed coffees. Wet processing was introduced into Indonesia by the Dutch from the West Indies and were designated WIB: West Indische Bereiding (West Indian preparation). Persatuan Petani Kopi Gayo Organik (PPKGO), with whom we work via ForesTrade has developed a “special preparation” for Cooperative Coffees contracts that consists of a wrapped wet fermentation that brings out the wild characteristics of the Sumatran coffees. This coffee has had excellent results and has become one of our biggest sellers, representing 6 containers per year.

Resources:
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/indonesia.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/indonesia/profiles/98092.stm
http://www.indonesiaalert.org/article.php?id=50

Fondo Paez was founded in 1992, with the primary goal of recuperating traditional indigenous agricultural knowledge. They became more organized and by 2000 they were selling coffee through the Coffee Federation’s Specialty Coffee program. In 2003 they produced 7 containers of coffee, both conventional and organic certified. They are governed democratically and extraordinarily well organized.
They are recently incorporated as an association in Colombia with its own legal identity. They currently process, market and export their coffee through the Federation, but are completely independent in their internal decision-making process.
Fondo Paez is completely committed to the self-sufficiency of their people and have a holistic approach to farming. This is most evident on their farms. Coffee is only one of many crops that are incorporated into a diverse, agro-forestry system. Food crops for their own consumption, feed crops for the farm animals and nitrogen fixing plants for the soil are given equal importance to their cash crops; coffee, sisal, beans, and different fruits.

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Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and yet the fourth poorest country in the world. Coffee farmers live a very traditional lifestyle. Farming less than 5 acres and living in stick houses, electricity, running water and indoor plumbing are rare in rural areas.
This photo shows our friend Jodie Treter, Chair of Co-op Coffees and an owner of Higher Grounds Trading Co., at OROMIA with growers.
The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is an exporting cooperative with offices in Addis Ababa, and affiliated farmer cooperatives located throughout the coffee growing regions of Ethiopia. Oromia was established in 1999 to facilitate the direct exportation of coffee produced by Ethiopia's small farmers and assist in marketing, processing and credit issues. Oromia is a well organized umbrella organization responsible for processing, marketing, and commercializing coffee for its members. The union is comprised of 101 cooperatives, made up of 74,795 members as of 2006. OCFCU works exclusively in Oromia Regional State, which accounts for 65 percent of the country’s total coffee growing land and includes coffees from Limu, Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Nekemte, Jimma, Sidamo, Neqemte/ Ghimbi, and Harrar. During the 2004 harvest of 2004, OCFCU processed 81,596 tons of coffee (30,415 of which is organic).
To support this work, OCFCU maintains 48 pulperies, 15 hulleries, and 63 warehouses in growing communities supported by 25 employees. Of the 101 co-ops, 11 of them are fair trade certified by FLO - representing 8963 farmers and 13,905.8 tons of coffee.
Establishing a direct relationship with the farmers is always an important aspect of Cooperative Coffee’s mission. But as one of their first buyers and the first foreign importer to meet the farmers, the impact appears all the more dramatic in Ethiopia.
“Before people would not come here, but treat us like animals and oppress us,” said the elder Tasew Gebru of the Nagelle Gorbitu Cooperative. “We appreciate your efforts, and to help us improve our lives; we really have seen an improvement in the last two years.”
With their fair trade premiums they have constructed four schools, two health clinics and a clean water supply. They now have a cupping lab located at their office and are in the process of constructing two warehouses. They hope to have their own processing plant within the next three years.
Check out more photos of our farmer partner, OROMIA.

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Pangoa- Peru
Located in the district of San Martin de Pangoa, the CAC Pangoa(Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa) was founded by its original 50 members in 1977. Today, its 721 members, along with its team of directors, technicians and employees are working hard to compete in a complicated international market. The majority of the coop members still cultivate coffee on five to ten hectare plots. The cooperative promotes strong leadership and gender equality.
Pangoa Cooperative is actively involved in promoting the social and economic welfare of its members. About five years ago, the cooperative initiated its organic program to teach members of best organic practices as well as helping community groups to understand all internal and external inspection norms. Pangoa has promoted the diversification of production, with cocoa production in lower elevations and honey production. They also use revenue from Fair Trade coffee sales to sponsor several initiatives: Credit and savings support, crop diversification programs, women's organization promotion, insurance, infrastructure imporvements, and technical assistance.
"With the Fair Trade price we hope to increase our organic production so that we can improve and conserve the soil and subsequently increase our productivity. With increased revenue from Fair Trade sales, we plan to improve all technical aspects of our production."

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The Cooperative "Producers’ Union Maya Vinic" is comprised of some 700 coffee farming families located in 36 highland communities in the municipalities of Chenalhó, Pantelhó and Chalchihuitán, in Chiapas, Mexico. Inspired by the traditions of their ancestors, Maya Vinic is organized and operates in keeping with a respect of local culture, language, reverence for the Mother Earth and traditional forms of self-government.

Maya Vinic is born out the wider civil society "Las Abejas”, an organized response to the prevalent injustice in their communities and in the hopes of promoting positive change and autonomous development by pacific means. The plight of their communities came to the public eye in the aftermath of the infamous Acteal Massacre, where 45 men, women and children were killed by paramilitary forces and thousands more displaced from their homes.

The organizational structure of Maya Vinic holds a General Assembly as its maximum authority. An Assembly of Community Delegates works in close conjunction with the Producers’ Board of Directors to accomplish the tasks assigned to the Education, Technical Assistance, Marketing, Administration and local Arbitration and Problem Resolution Committees.
Coffee production is nothing new to the farmers of this region. “Recruited” since the arrival of the plantations in the early 1900s as poorly paid hired hands during the harvest, they learned about production and processing, and the wealth that coffee had made for a fortunate few. Soon, seeds began trickling back to the Highland communities of Chiapas.

Office: Sacred Soil - Martyrs of Acteal
Region: Highlands of Chiapas
Founded: July 31, 1999
Coffee: Arabica coffees, including varieties such as Typica, Caturra, and Mundo Novo. Grown at altitudes of between 900 and 1400 meters, classified as Extra Prime to Strictly Hard Bean.
Characteristics: This smooth-bodied coffee offers balance in the cup with pronounced sweet, fruity flavor.

Farmers eventually were able to organize themselves into producer cooperatives in search of more equitable markets. In keeping with this legacy, Maya Vinic has recently been accepted to the FLO register and is in the second year of organic certification.
Cooperative Coffees purchased the first Maya Vinic coffee to be exported under fair trade terms in 2001.

email: cafe@mayavinic.com

Fast Facts on Mut Vitz

600 Members in 26 municipalities
Annual Production - Approximately 600,000 pounds
Founded in 1997, Joined FLO register in 1999
Organic Certified in 2000
Altitude of plots between 900 and 1,400 ft
Coffee species Arabica coffees, Typica, Caturra, Bourbon
Characteristics: A full-bodied coffee with a hint of nut and chocolate in the cup, good acidity and excellent aroma

The cooperative is comprised of some 600 families from 26 communities in the self-proclaimed autonomous region of San Juan de La Libertad, located in the Highlands of Chiapas. Mut Vitz coordinates a network of 48 community promoters working to consolidate their own participative process for the transfer of technology and practical know-how for organic production. These promoters have already led the cooperative through the organic certification process and are constantly improving internal mechanisms for quality control. Because of the lack of government support for indigenous people in this region, Mut Vitz producers seek autonomous economic and social alternatives to support development in their communities – critical to that is the sale of their coffee to the fair trade market.

Mut Vitz is a positive example of a local initiative working for true respect for Indigenous rights and human dignity in Chiapas.

Principal objectives include:
-Increasing the local knowledge of appropriate technology for the organic production of their coffee
-Improving the potential of the cooperative members to sell their coffee at "fair prices" both nationally and internationally
-Improving the basic infrastructure for each of the cooperative members.
-Improving the collective infrastructure for the dry processing and transportation of their coffee .
-Improving the overall economic and social well being of its members.

As one of our first partner cooperatives, we have spent many hours together discussing plans and proposals as we developed our businesses together. We have witnessed the care that Mut Vitz takes to control quality and its own internal processes and understand how they have come to grow so quickly over the past four years.

Yachil - Chiapas Mexico

Info on other Mexico cooperatives
Meeting with Yachil Fast Facts on Yachil

1,552 Members in 7 municipalities
Annual Production - Approximately 400,000 pounds
All Coffee Organic Certified or in transition
Founded in 2001, Joined FLO register in 2005,
Organic Certified in 2005
Altitude of plots between 1,000 and 1,300 ft
Future Plans-Build collection warehouses in communities

Yachil Xojobal Chu’lchan, which means “new light in the sky” in the Tzeltal language, has members from the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Mayan indigenous groups supportive of the Zapatista autonomous movement working towards respect for Indigenous rights. In 2001, Yachil began to organize its first members with 383 producers from the municipalities of Chilon, Pantelho and San Juan Cancuc.

In 2003 Yachil sold its first container to Germany, and in 2004 they sold just over 2 containers to Germany and into the US. They currently are comprised of 1,552 members in seven municipalities, with a future export capacity of some 27 containers (1,080,000 pounds).

Rep at Polho Members of this fair trade coffee cooperative have formed their own local Indigenous governments, which focus on community development efforts to promote democracy, equality, and empowerment. Members do not accept government handouts. Over the last decade members of Yachil have suffered repression at the hands of government security forces and the paramilitary. Many members and their families have been forced to flee their communities as internal refugees and they continue to be victims of oppression, intimidation, and even assassination.

The Federation of Exporting Coffee Producers (FECAFEB) was founded in 1991 as a national organization to defend the rights and needs of small-scale coffee farmers. FECAFEB has taken huge steps forward and seems to be right in stride with the new Bolivian political reality in support of Indigenous voice and rights.
FECAFEB is currently comprised of 30 coffee producer organizations, representing some 8,700 families. FECAFEB and its member coops have developed in important ways, including: the consolidation of its now 30 cooperative members; a widespread training program for administrative, leadership and quality control improvements offered to 470 cooperative leaders old and new; creating a political space for the voice of small-scale coffee producers to be heard and amplified; and in the sale of 120 containers of coffee primarily into the Fair Trade, Organic and other specialty markets.
Cooperative Coffees participated in an extensive tour of FECAFEB cooperatives in May 2006. Out of that impressive visit came Cooperative Coffees first contracts of Bolivian Fair Trade and organic coffee.
One of the producer groups we visited is the Associacion Integral de Productores Ecologicos de Pumiri (AIPEP), with whom we have booked our first lot of coffee. AIPEP currently has 32 founding members and 22 recently enlisted. The founding members have worked hard to construct impressive internal systems for excellent organic production and quality control, as well as solid mechanisms for assuring participation and administrative oversite by the members. AIPEP leaders say some 120 other farmers in the surrounding areas are watching their progress at securing markets, and have the potential to multiply their export capacity four-fold. AIPEP has been certified by IMO Control since 2002, but to date has not been able to export directly, nor be adequately compensated for their organic investment.
With this first contract for export, we are attempting to help them get onto the FLO register as a FECAFEB affiliated cooperative and to finally break into a more lucrative international market.
We visited the plot of Fermin Chincheros, and saw very nice production on the trees as well as incredibly clean pergamino on the drying trays.
Plot Size: 3.5 ha in coffee
Total Yield: Approx. 80 qq parchment (average of 25 – 30 qq per ha)
Altitude: 3,600-4,500 feet above sea level
Varieties: 100 percent Typica
Shade: 100 percent shade grown.

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Here is a report on our visit to La FEM in Nica.
All said the visit could not have gone better and we are prepared to buy at least 150 bags of the container that we hope the co-op can purchase. The coffee sample they sent us cupped out at 81.5, I believe. So it is on par with CECOCAFEN's coffee. It also gives us an opportunity to support an emerging group doing amazing work outside of the coffee fields and to be able to tell their story.
We found out about the group from Wisconsin Coordinating Committee on Nicaragua's (WCCN) Carlos Arenas. We wanted to meet them and learn more about their work while exploring the possibility of buying their beans. After e-mailing back and forth for a couple of months, we made plans to head to Esteli for 3 days.
La FEM is not simply a coffee growing cooperative. Founded in 1996, they organized to work on issues of domestic violence against women, women's health, education, and job training. When we met them we were immediately impressed with their level of organization and their dedication to women's rights as a political and social imperative. They picked us up from the airport in Managua and drove us up to their offices in Esteli. We were able to meet with the office staff and the Development Committee right away. They presented many of the projects that they are working on. One particularly cool one is an alternative school in Condega for young women to learn carpentry, construction, welding, etc. The idea is that this way they will never be dependent on the men-folk to build their houses and maintain them. It also gives them employment opportunities, although this is tougher because men dominate those fields.
The meeting ended with all of us reading a piece about the co-optation of world leftists by the forces of capitalism. The authors contended that the left only looks to make neoliberalism more palatable and does not seek to end it. Fair trade was something the authors felt was reformist. It was really cool to have a round table discussion about this with producers and to flesh out why (or if) fair trade is worth its water. La FEM ends all of their Devo Committee meetings with analyzing and discussing political writings. We got the overall impression that all of the women have a great political critique down to the producer level.
After getting a good night’s sleep (and a few Cuba Libres) we headed out to a community called Los Llanos to meet with La Cooperativa Cope Mujeres, one of the four cooperatives that are organized under the La FEM umbrella. I believe they have around 132 total growers in the co-ops. They were really great and asked excellent questions about what we do including what price we sell coffee for and why. At one point I had a brain-melt and could not say what I wanted in Spanish. I said so and one of the older women in the co-op grinned and said “That’s okay, I haven’t understood half of what you have said all day.” This got a good laugh.
Next we walked down to the house of a grower named Irma who is part of a 5 woman collective called Las Estrellas that is within Cope Mujeres. They are different from most of the other growers in that they work a common piece of land and divide work and income equally. Their land is pretty far from their collection point and from the road as well, so they haul all of their coffee back and forth “por bestia” or on the back of a horse. Last year each woman produced 30 quintales and earned about $250 from coffee sales. This is at above the FT minimum price. They are in the process of cutting down older trees and planting new ones, so they expect their production to grow in the next 3 or 4 years. This was a common situation with the growers we met, so there is room for their one organic container to increase. The FEM co-ops also still have growers in transition (this also available!) in addition to the producers who can fill a container this year.
The highlight of the trip was probably spending all of one day on horseback (en bestia?) riding through the mountains with 2 producers from the Las Estrellas Collective (Irma and Maxima) and Juanita Villareyna who works in the office of La FEM and who has been around coffee all of her life (dad is in a PRODECOOP co-op called Miraflor). We spent hours going from field to field meeting growers and getting to know them. We visited the Las Estrellas coffee field as well as their patio/depulping station. They are also growing food and have 5 cows in the area. It was an incredibly beautiful place with the San Francisco mountain looming above. They told us that during the revolution there was a secret Sandinista training camp close by and the area was the scene of fighting and harassment by the Contras.
When we returned to Esteli for one final meeting, we were floored by the "interview" that the group gave us. The directivas from all FEM co-ops came to the meeting and they had some serious points for discussion. They sold their coffee to a German group last year under fair trade terms, but were disappointed by the lack of interest on the buyers' part to construct a larger project that extended beyond coffee. The producers wanted to know that Just Coffee and Co-op Coffees are interested in a deeper partnership, one that would build connections between people in our communities and the women of La FEM. They also wanted to make sure that their coffee would not end up at "Wal-Mart" or any other trans-national or unethical stores. They were intent on making sure that we market their coffee in a way that lets people know who they are and what they represent, not simply as “Nicaraguan Fair Trade Coffee”.
They also asked about pricing. I gave them the breakdown on the Co-op Coffees pricing and where we are headed with it. As it stands, last year they got $1.51, so $1.56 would be a slight improvement. I stressed that the $1.56 is a minimum and that it could be possible to discuss a slightly higher price depending on quality and other factors. I also told them that if CC cannot meet their “fair price”, that JC would consider paying a “social premium” a la Santa Anita.
After discussing possibilities for collaboration we left the room so that they could take a vote on whether they should work with us. I am happy to report that they unanimously chose to partner with us after about 30 minutes of discussion. We toasted our relationship over Flor de Cana and ate a nice meal. We left feeling great about where we were at.
I think that we all have a great opportunity here to support and partner with an incredibly important group. I think that the opportunities to make connections between our customers and La FEM are endless and they are totally set up for delegations and visitors. Their hope is to not only sell us coffee, but to help advance their cause by finding folks in the US who they can collaborate with. It all feels like a natural to me.
Let’s do this. Word.

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Founded in 1985

6500 members in 13 province: Baní, Azua, San Cristóbal, Polo, La Descubierta, San José de Ocoa, Barahona, Pedernales, Juan Santiago, Los Ríos, El Cercado, Neyba and Hondo Valle.

Mission: Bring economic and social stability to its member family in order to improve their quality of life

Arabica Coffee Produced: the Baní, cultivated in altitudes 700 to 1000 meters, and the Barahona, cultivated in altitudes 800 to 1200 meters.

FEDECARES was born out of the necessity to rebuild the coffee regions after the devastating Cyclone David hit the Dominican Republic in 1979. The producers understood that by joining forces, they would become stronger. They began by creating an individual community association. Then in 1983, 60 different community associations came together to form the regional structure known as “Federation de Caficultores de la Region Sur” (FEDECARES). This non-for profit organization was legally recognized in August 1991. Since then, it has grown to include 157 associations in 13 different provinces. The main office of FEDECARES is located in the city of San Cristóbal.

The Mt. Meru Coffee Project creates a direct connection between farmers and consumers. It offers justice through a fair price for the farmer, and hope to both the farmer and consumer.

Growing out of a partnership between Lutherans of the Milwaukee Synod (ELCA) and the Diocese of Meru (ELCT) in northern Tanzania, coffee grown on the slopes of Mt. Meru is purchased directly from small farmers through their local coops. The objectives of the project center on bringing economic and social justice to the small farmers and people of the Mt. Meru region in Tanzania.

Coffee is the farmers' primary cash crop. Sales of coffee through the project provide a just income, an income needed to maintain and improve crops, and provide the necessities for their family and children. Pastor Kitoi states, "The farmers consider this a life-giving, hope-filled project, providing folks at the grass root level with liberating abilities in a very poor economy".

From the Madison-Arcatao Sister City's website:

Shared Values
The producers of Cafe Chacón have organized a cooperative of coffee growers and processors who are building community based on an economic model of mutual solidarity.When you drink Cafe Chacón you join with them in building this solidarity. Cafe Chacón is carefully grown without the use of pesticides on family-sized plots 1000 meters above sea level.These conditions assure premium taste,an equitable economy for coffee growers,and ecological sustainability.

A History of Struggle
The northern region of Chalatenango was the center of heavy conflict during El Salvador's 12-year civil war (1980-1992). The people of the region were forced to flee to the mountains to avoid death squad patrols--all but abandoning their villages during the war. Many saw their homes and crops destroyed by the army.

The armed conflict ended in 1992,when Peace Accords were signed. Since then, communities have been faced with rebuilding their homes and readjusting to civilian life. In the years following the war, many people returned to what was familiar to them: cultivating and harvesting coffee.

But these growers have come a long way since the days of toasting coffee alongside their daily tortillas. Their cooperative buys coffee from local growers,dries the beans using solar technology,roasts them to perfection, and sells the finished product throughout El Salvador.

Cafe Chacón is an export quality micro-roast that brings the best of this growers co-op direct to you, through solidarity relationships with MOFGA and U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities.

Social Justice And Solidarity
Sister Cities is a national grassroots organization of U.S. residents who have formed "sister city" solidarity relationships with rural communities in El Salvador. We are partnered with the Association of Rural Communities for the Development of El Salvador, CRIPDES, a Salvadoran organization made up of 300 rural communities,including 21 "sister communities" that have relationships with cities across the United States.

In addition to political support and economic assistance, U.S.Sister Cities committees, like MOFGA, work with their Salvadoran counterparts to raise awareness about El Salvador's continuing struggle against corporate globalization and to promote alternatives based on social and economic justice.

The U.S.-El Salvador Sister Cities Network supports community-based, grassroots initiatives such as the Cafe Ereguan Coffee Collective to address conditions in El Salvador. U.S.-based committees carry out work in their own communities as part of the broader social movement.