At a Glance
Location: San Martín, Peru
Impact Areas: Sustainable Income
People Supported:
Small-holder Farmers, Rural, Women
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2024
Overview
The Amazon region of San Martín is one of Peru’s main coffee-producing regions. Many farmers in the region own small farms and produce small quantities of coffee, often complementing production with other crops. However, a competitive market and limited access to end consumers mean these small producers often resort to selling to middlemen who pay low prices and value yield over quality.
Founded in 2015, La Asociación de Productores Amazonas – Alto Mayo (“Apromayo”) sources coffee beans from producers in remote rainforest areas of San Martín and Amazonas, supporting them to make a living income while conserving the environment. Today, the association, led by a woman and supported by a young team, has become a key player in the region's coffee industry. Since its inception, it has grown from six members to over 300. It pays its producers premium prices and sells their high-quality coffee to local businesses and international clients in the US and Europe.
Apromayo’s mission lies in achieving decent and sustainable livelihoods for its producers. The Apromayo technical team runs regular training sessions on organic and Fairtrade farming practices that minimize the use of harmful chemicals and reuse and recycle waste. In this way, members cultivate coffee beans that meet global market demands of quality, sustainability, and traceability, securing minimum prices for their products. The association also has a coffee laboratory where producers can taste the coffee they grow and identify ways to improve its quality for higher income in the long term.
As part of its efforts to improve the quality of life of its members –42% of whom are women – Apromayo has a gender policy in place that aims to strengthen women’s roles in the association. In addition to training its leadership team and members in gender equity practices, the association runs sessions in regenerative agriculture to support women to develop additional sources of income.
With support from other donors, the Apromayo team also works alongside small coffee farmers to develop regenerative farming projects. One of these projects includes supporting members to reforest their farms with native trees to support local biodiversity and provide shade to coffee trees growing in areas with high sun exposure.
Results & Impact
387
smallholder farmers supported by 2025
50%
of producers supported are women by 2025
179%
higher earnings for smallholder farmers as Apromayo members
“With NESsT’s investment, we have boosted our sales both nationally and internationally, strengthening our market presence and improving the quality of life of our coffee producers. NESsT’s support has been instrumental to our association’s long-term growth and sustainability, driving us toward greater quality and performance throughout our coffee production.”
NESsT Investment
As the international demand for high-quality, deforestation-free coffee continues to grow, NESsT’s loan to Apromayo will support the association to meet client demands for higher volumes of coffee. With access to a revolving line of credit over two years, Apromayo can continue to support its current producers and reach more producers in the region.
NESsT will also work alongside the Apromayo team to guide the business to achieving steady, sustainable business growth and environmental and social impact.