In the mountains of Northern Nicaragua, 38 base cooperatives composed of 2,700 small farmers grow and sell coffee together as the Promotora de Desarollo Cooperativa de las Segovias (PRODECOOP). The vast majority of the farmers are in the Esteli, Madriz and Nuevo Segovia regions. Of these farmers 30% are women-owned farms. On average they export 30,000 bags each year — about 50% of which are Certified Organic and most are working with the Caturra and Bourbon varieitals.  

The cooperative has a commitment to the wellbeing of their members and provides services such as marketing, cooperative development including technical assistance, training, credit funds, improving coffee quality and social projects to promote food security and gender equality.

Their vision is for “Work based in the family and for the family.” The quality of their products, service and environment plus social development is equal to the quality of life for their families. PRODECOOP’s motto is “Behind every cup of coffee, there is a family.”

We’re proud to purchase coffee from this cooperative — their coffees are featured in some of our most popular blends!

• Co-op: PRODECOOP
• Region: Esteli, Madriz, Nuevo Segovia, Nicaragua
• Altitude: 1,500 – 1,700 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai

Situated on the highlands of Central Kenya is one of the largest fully farmer-owned, Fairtrade certified coffee society in Kenya, The Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society Limited (FCS). The OTHAYA society was registered in 1956 with 250 farmers and has since grown to over 15,000 members who generally farm half acre plots averaging 250 coffee trees. This is where our Kenya Peaberry comes from and is one of the award-winning roasts from our 2017 Roaster of the Year.

Many aspects make OTHAYA extraordinary, especially their strong social unity. They have a holistic approach to their business management and a progressive view towards quality control throughout their supply chain. The society has a full spectrum of support for their farmers from nursery, farm store, workshops and factory managers are routinely trained on wet mill best practices. OTHAYA also has cupping facilities and society staff cup samples of every lot delivered during the harvest season.

“Peaberries are sought after by coffee connoisseurs for two main reasons: the small size and rounded shape of the beans means they roll around in a smooth and fluid motion inside the coffee roaster for an even and consistent roast. The other major benefit of peaberry beans is that they have been carefully selected, which is essential for optimal quality, regardless of bean shape.” - Jacob Long, Roastmaster

• Co-op: OTHAYA
• Region: Nyeri, Kenya
• Altitude: 1,400 – 1,800 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: SL28, SL32, Ruiru 11, Batian

SINGLE ORIGIN

The Society of Small Producers for Coffee Exports (SOPPEXCCA) supports farming families in Nicaragua. Nestled in the mountains above the regional capital Jinotega, the farmers of SOPPEXCCA grow coffee under the protective shade of bananas, mangos, and mahogany, and alongside dense forests providing home to dozens of rare orchids and winter habitat for hundreds of migratory songbirds.

The SOPPEXCCA coffee cooperative was founded in Nicaragua in 1997 with the intention of improving the lives of its members and communities in the Nicaraguan coffee industry. They represent 654 families and is recognized around the world as a leader in the movement to empower small-scale farmers, especially women and youth. During the harvest, coffee is carefully picked, then depulped and fermented overnight before it is washed, and sun-dried. Careful attention to the subtleties of processing and the farmer’s pride produce sweetly floral coffee, with a rich nutty depth and a distinctive sweetness reminiscent of dried apricots.

In addition to the Fairtrade premium we pay for this coffee, we give to a special fund for the "Unpaid Work Of Women" for SOPPEXCCA.

• Co-op: SOPPEXCCA
• Region: Jinotega
• Altitude: 1,200 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra

Perched atop fertile mountain ridges in the foothills east of the Andes, 300 farming families produce one of Bolivia’s sweetest coffees under the shade of lush jungle canopy. These farmers are members of ASOCAFE, a cooperative founded in 1990 in an effort to improve the quality of the area’s coffee and, consequently, price and income for farmers.

Caranavi province is the heartland of Bolivia’s coffee production. Rivers that flow from glaciers 4,000 meters above carve deep valleys and create an ideal landscape for the cultivation of exquisite coffee. The farmers of ASOCAFE grow prized varietals on their small farms and transport their carefully hand-picked coffee to central processing stations, where, under the watchful eye of the cooperative’s staff, the ripe cherries are depulped, fermented, washed, and sun-dried.

Buying coffee from ASOCAFE since 2009

• Co-op: ASOCAFE
• Region: Caranavi
• Altitude: 800-1,800 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: Typica, Caturra, Catui

High in the lush mountains of Northern Peru, on the rugged eastern flank of the Andes, two thousand family farmers produce coffee under the dense shade of guavas, acacias, orange, and banana trees. These farmers are members of CENFROCAFE, an association of over 80 small cooperatives working together to produce one of the finest coffees in Peru, while stewarding the surrounding mountain ecosystem.

The province of Cajamarca has long been the backbone of Peru’s economy due to its vast mineral wealth. Unfortunately, these days, modern mining techniques despoil the earth and surrounding rivers and forests. The cultivation of high quality organic coffee has become the key to Cajamarca’s economic and environmental sustainability, and the farmers of CENFROCAFE are leaders in this effort.

The members of CENFROCAFE carefully pick ripe cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and dry their coffee on their small farms ranging in size from one to three acres. The result is a finely crafted coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.

Buying coffee from CENFROCAFE since 2009

• Co-op: CENFROCAFE
• Region: Cajamarca - Northern Peru
• Altitude: 1,700 – 2,000 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: Caturra, Typica, Yellow Catui

Located in the lush mountains of Nor Oriente in the high Peruvian Amazon ORO VERDE Cooperative farms produce green coffee with organic certification and environmental responsibility for the world. With more than two-thirds of the cooperative's membership belonging to the Chanca Lamista indigenous group speaking their native language - Quechua.

ORO VERDE was originaly founded in 1999 by 56 members based in the province of Lamas, in the San Martín region of the Andes. The cooperative now brings together more than 1,000 families of small-scale coffee growers to produce one of the finest coffees in Peru, while stewarding the surrounding mountain ecosystem.

Leaders in cooperative organic agriculture, Oro Verde provides services to its partners with respect for gender, and with solidarity for multicultural ways of being. The coffee crops are managed under shade protecting the biodiversity of the tropics. Along with many other projects they are working to Reforest their habitat, and have managed to reforest 2.0 million native trees in their region so far.

The members of ORO VERDE carefully pick ripe cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and dry their coffee on their small farms ranging in size from one to three acres. The result is a finely crafted coffee with hints of honey, papaya, and milk chocolate complimented by a soft citric acidity.

• Co-op: Oro Verde
• Region: San Martín, Peru
• Altitude: 350 – 2,000 meters
• Processing: Wet / Washed
• Varietal: Bourbon, Caturra and Catimor

SOPACDI (Solidarité Paysanne pour la Promotion des Actions Café et Développement Intégral) was created in 2002. This coffee co-op is located on Lake Kivu, straddling the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. It is comprised of various ethnic groups, who all share one vision: to transform the socio-economic conditions of their families, community, and to foster inclusivity with transparency to produce exceptional coffee for their customers.

SOPACDI process their coffee with a Rwandan style fermentation, with nothing added. The coffee goes through three distinct processes; a Dry fermentation – in a concrete tank for 24 hours, then a Wet fermentation – where the beans soak in a second tank for 12 hours with water, then a Final a wet fermentation – in a third tank for 12 more hours. Once these fermentation processes are complete, the coffee is fully washed and dried on raised African drying beds for 4-8 days, depending on the weather.

SOPACDI now has over 12,100 Farmers with 3964 of them women. SOPACDI is the only cooperative in Kivu with 4 certifications. In 10 years time, the guidance of small farmers allowed SOPACDI to contribute to the improvement of the living conditions of its members, such as schooling, housing, the pacification of ethnic groups, the creation of youth jobs, the fight against smuggling on Lake Kivu, and the promotion of women and pygmy rights, and is a leader in promoting gender equality and helping revitalize the country's coffee economy. SOPACDI is the very first certified Fairtrade co-op in the DRC and is the 2014 Sustainability Award Recipient from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

• Co-op: SOPACDI
• Region: Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
• Altitude: 1,460- 2,000 meters
• Processing: Wet Processed
• Varietal: Bourbon

The owners of Las Lajas, Oscar and Francisca Chacón, are third-generation coffee farmers known for their highly differentiated processes that produce spectacular coffees. Most notable are their wild and juicy naturals along with their complex and rich honey-processed coffees. The Las Lajas farm is nestled in the foothills of the Poas Volcano, located outside the town of Sabanilla in central Costa Rica.

The name Las Lajas comes from the Spanish version of an Arabic word for the indigenous-crafted stone artifacts found on the farm when it was first planted. In total, 38 hectares of land are divided into several parcels, each of which grow various shade tree species and create unique micro-climates. In addition, different lots process coffee differently—some naturally, others either honey or washed. Las Lajas’s farming diversity allows the farm to create several distinct products with different characteristics all within a contained area. There is a rich tradition of coffee farming in the Chacón family: generations have owned and produced coffee on their land for more than 80 years.

After the tragic loss of their father due to pesticide-caused illness in 1980, Oscar and Francisca made the conscious decision to do what their hearts told them was best for their family. The two began growing organically. This decision to grow organically was difficult at first because there were no premiums paid for organics at the time. The two risked financial stability. As pioneers, the Chacón family saw the value in building a healthier farm. Today, many farmers and cooperatives benefit from the risk Oscar and Francisca and other farmers took many years ago. Las Lajas was one of the first farms to produce organic coffee and remains one of the only certified-organic farms in Costa Rica.

• Co-op: LAS LAJAS
• Region: Alajuela, Costa Rica
• Altitude: 1,300 meters
• Processing: Honey Processed
• Varietal: Bourbon

• Co-op: AGROBERLIN
• Region: Santa Marta, Columbia
• Altitude: 1,300-1,800 meters
• Processing: Washed
• Varietal: Typica, Caturra and Castillo

He was on the wrong end of a lasso being held by Clark Gable. The horse was bucking and raising up on his hind legs, pulling desperately away from his capture. Marilyn Monroe was pulling on Clark’s hand pleading for the horses freedom. Clark was determined to get his horse and another payday. The Name of the Movie was The Misfits and was about three Aging Cowpokes who once made their living capturing Mustangs and selling them into the slaughter houses for meat. In this movie they complained about how the horses were no longer in abundance , hard to find and it was impossible to make a decent days pay capturing the ‘things’. Maralyn was as beautiful as the horses eyes, fierce now but with long lashes and deep deep soft eyes. Marilyn was beautiful but it was the Mustang, fighting for her freedom, that stole my heart,

Today, 58 years later there is a similar story playing out on the millions of square miles of rangeland between the western slope of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevadas. Today it is not aging cowboys in Pick up trucks and lassos , but Federal Agents in Helicopters rounding up entire herds of free horses and burros and their children, often in the chaos separating family members or driving the horses to their death in the frenzy. Hay Feds, what’s the problem?

The round ups gather the horses into corals so they wont compete for the space grassland feed out there on the range. Thet range is for the Beef Cattle ! Our government leases our citizen owned land to cattle ranchers they can make money selling beef to our meat eating society of which I must admit , I am one. The cost of feeding jailed Mustangs is estimated to be in the billions. And why, when the 1970 Congress afforded Mustangs America’s protection, has all the Bureau of Land Management continued to harass the best symbols of freedom we have ?

Yes, it happened for me long ago in a movie theatre but last October, on the way from Northern California to Phoenix to play baseball , I pulled my car onto a a sandy dirt road to nowhere and drove into the dessert just to see what was out there on that dirt road to nowhere. About five miles in, there they were ! Three magnificent free roaming Mustangs …and they were looking at me from a hill about a home runs distance away. I stopped, my heart jumping , I exited my car and laid down on the very hot sand and stared back. Finally, the circle was complete. I saw them alive and free.

Who belongs on that land we, as citizens own but have delegated the responsibility for their safety to The Bureau of Land Management to secure ? And why has the BLM chosen to represent the Cattle Industry and not our Mustangs?

When I discovered that others of my kind were fighting for them too, we joined the American Wild Horse Campaign and created a coffee package to tell coffee lovers whose side we were on. As with our other Cause Coffee programs, we wanted to empower our customers to help raise funds and awareness for this important work.

Horse and stuntman in the 1960 film "The Misfits"

When we are a bit further past this COVID-19 Pandemic we are planning a visit, jointly with AWHC staff, to visit and see these magnificent spirits up close. I hope you will be able to come with us. Until then, buy their coffee and know you are on the bus with us. And let me use that old expression , “The steak is as good as the sizzle “ when I say that the coffee inside the package is as good as it gets. You be the judge.

The American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) is dedicated to preserving American wild horses and burros in viable free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage.

Since 2004, this organization has been raising awareness and making change for America’s wild horses. Thanksgiving Coffee Company has partnered with them to create Wild Grounds, a cause coffee to save the wild horses.