At a Glance
Location: Peru
Impact Areas: Income Generation, Sustainable Income
People Supported:
Small-holder Farmers, Rural, Women
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2023
Overview
Labeled Peru’s capital of organic coffee, the Rodriguez de Mendoza province in Amazonas has high altitudes and fertile land ideal for producing high-quality, sustainable coffee crops. Founded over a decade ago, the Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Alta Montaña sources Fairtrade and organic coffee from over 400 small-holder farmers in the region, with close to 25% of its suppliers over the age of 65, and approximately 30% rural women.
The core mission of the cooperative lies in improving the livelihoods of small-holder farmers; Alta Montaña pays its members fair prices and equips them with technical knowledge to produce greater yields of high-quality specialty coffee and increase their household earnings.
Fostering strong relationships with its network of suppliers, Alta Montaña conducts weekly visits to the 22 sectors where its members are located. During these visits, the team oversees the quality of the coffee grown and gives training sessions on Fairtrade and organic crop production. As members of Alta Montaña, coffee farmers have access to equipment to produce value-added coffee products on their farms, such as solar dryers and fermentation tanks. This has allowed the coffee cooperative to boost its producers’ income further.
Alta Montaña works to conserve primary forests in the areas in which it operates. One way it does this is by planting trees between the standing forest and land used for farming. In addition to preventing human intervention and increasing local biodiversity, these natural barriers provide cover for producers’ coffee crops. Additionally, Alta Montaña supports its producers to use geolocation services, and has trained 60% of its suppliers to closely monitor their land use.
The cooperative also runs two coffee shops in Rodriguez de Mendoza and Chiclayo, where it sells its locally-sourced and -produced specialty coffee under the brand ‘Huayacho’, providing the cooperative with stable, year-round income.
Results & Impact
+100%
higher earnings compared to non-cooperative members
30%
of producers supported are women by 2027
80%
of producers supplied with training and equipment to produce value-added coffee products
“With NESsT’s financial support, we are successfully consolidating our business model, expanding our customer base, and increased the volume of certified specialty coffee we sell. This is significantly improving the profitability and sustainability of coffee farming for our 400 member families, positively impacting their quality of life.”
NESsT Investment
The Lirio Fund will provide Alta Montaña with a structured working capital loan over three years, allowing the cooperative to uphold its commitment to international and locally-based clients, while guaranteeing local producers premium prices and ongoing technical assistance to produce specialty, deforestation-free coffee.
NESsT will also work alongside Alta Montaña to promote the work of women within the cooperative and along new business lines the cooperative is currently developing to provide local rural communities with additional sources of income.