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Twenty years ago, you became the first woman in Peru to be a General Manager at a coffee cooperative. This isn’t very common in the coffee industry overall, even today. Can you tell us what this experience has been like for you?

I have had many opportunities to access positions that are traditionally only available to men. First of which was when I went to university and there were only 13 women and 150 men.

When I finished school, I went to work at the Satipo Coffee Cooperative. It was a challenge because one of the male agricultural engineers was not doing his job well and the cooperative was unhappy. The administrative board said, “well if a man can’t do the job maybe a woman can.” It was posed as a challenge.

When I started, they did not have anything, just a motorcycle to go to the countryside. So, I organized with the Educational Committee (at the cooperative, all the support for technicians comes from the Educational Committee), solidified the schedule of farm visits, and maintained a nursery of citrus to help with coffee income diversification. This was during the time of the first attack of the coffee leaf fungus, “la roya.”

When the Satipo Cooperative splintered off to begin the Pangoa Cooperative, the board of directors said that I could join them and help with the modernization of coffee growing. I said “Great, I’ll come!” But it was a fight with the farmers because they said, “Who is this girl that doesn’t know anything, what can she teach me after this many years working in the field?” I had to explain that while they had the experience, I had the knowledge and if they let me help them, they could produce even more. I did the most convincing over meals and in the kitchen: talking about politics or, when they were sick, helping to make medicine for them to take and really building the trust between us. Once I had their trust, then I could do the work of teaching them how they could produce more coffee.

I later left the cooperative to open my own office for specialized agricultural and technical advice. This was until 1987 when the Shining Path, a really strong political movement, arrived. I had to close my office because the farmers came to me and told me that they were dying — that the police were killing them and the Shining Path was killing them.

In 1996, the Pangoa Cooperative called me about the management position. At this time, they were having a lot of problems. They had lost nearly 2,000 pounds of coffee from the humidity since they had done a bad job of storing it and lost a lot of money. I agreed to take the position and stay for a year — now it’s been 20! After ten years, we were able to pay off all the debts, and later we were able to develop and invest in organic agriculture and fair trade.

In 2008, we started to expand our work with organic fertilizers, compost, and micro-organisms. We went to a farmer-to-farmer training at the COMSA Cooperative to see their biodynamic farms, and now we are working with our nearly 700 cooperative members to spread that knowledge.

Can you tell us about some of the changes you’ve witnessed at the Pangoa Cooperative in the past 20 years, and how you’ve weathered the challenges?

When we started, we were selling conventional coffee and we had to be very careful with handling money — every dollar of income we had to use to our advantage. Fair trade premiums have helped our cooperative weather the ups and downs, but even fair trade depends on the market. When the market price of coffee increases, so does the fair trade price. And when the prices fall, fair trade roasters still pay the fair trade minimum price. I really do admire the fair trade roasters. They are our greatest allies and through them, there is an entire group of consumers that believe in this movement. This [support] is the most important because it means we won’t have to stop producing coffee. In earlier years when I didn’t know about fair trade and there were hard times, farmers would simply come to us and say, “the price is so low, we can’t put up with it anymore” and throw away their coffee. This was because we did not have the protection of fair trade and in reality, producing coffee without it is not sustainable.

Can you tell us about Pangoa’s Women’s Committee? What are they currently focused on and how does their work impact the community more broadly?

The Women’s Committee formed in 1997. The topics we were focused on then revolved around capacity building for self-esteem and how to take control over your situation as a mother, to support yourself and your family. Another goal of the committee was to have opportunities for the women to have their own income separate from coffee. We worked on activities like planting vegetable gardens, raising guinea pigs and chickens, and the creation of a market for the women to bring their own products and food to sell. Currently, the Women’s Committee is also working on a reforestation project with Grow Ahead.

Today, there are many examples of women who are leaders and have taken on positions of authority in their communities. They have become municipal officers and taken on roles in schools because they know how to read and write and can share knowledge in leadership roles.

What kind of role does the Pangoa Cooperative play in the community?

A very important role. There was an idea to close the cooperative in 2001 because our organic certification was [temporarily] taken away. We had lost $20,000 dollars because we had already paid the farmers the higher organic price but couldn’t sell the coffee as organic. The farmers came to the general assembly and said if the cooperative can’t sell their coffee, then the cooperative didn’t make sense anymore and that selling to the coyote (middlemen) would be better. But there was a tremendous message from the members that said, no, impossible. If we close the cooperative the coyotes are going to be abusive and take advantage of the farmers because it is the cooperative that regulates the prices. We at the cooperative can come and say how the finances are, how the market price is, inform the farmers with trust and transparency. They can’t go to a coyote and demand information and transparency. So, it is a really important role – we are the protectors of the prices of coffee, cocoa, and honey.

In our stores and our cafés in the village, we are promoting the consumption of our own coffee with the youth in the community. This is a huge public objective so that the younger generation can try more coffee, get to know quality coffee, and become local consumers of their families’ own products. Their parents are coffee growers and they need to know the value in their community’s own products.

Are there any final thoughts that you would like to share with our readers and with coffee drinkers?

Yes, with the consumers, especially those who buy fair trade coffee and chocolate: I hope that they can read more stories from producer cooperatives so they can know what we are doing in our towns and villages and that they will support us by seeking out fair trade products.

Grow Ahead is a non-profit that connects people directly to small-scale farmer organizations to support farmer-led reforestation projects that benefit people and the planet. To learn more and support community led initiatives, visit GrowAhead.org

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We asked members of our staff and editorial board to share some of their favorite products brought to life by the grassroots efforts of the communities that produced them. Find them online, in your community, or at your favorite natural foods store!

ZAMBEEZI LIP BALM

I love Zambeezi’s organic and fair trade lip balms from Zambia. Zambeezi works with local communities in the Miombo forest to wild harvest organic honey and beeswax. By producing beautifully crafted balms, Zambeezi is supporting economic alternatives to mining and logging industries in the region – RYAN
www.zambeezi.com

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HAKHU, SAS KUYLLUR NECKLACE

What a beautiful necklace and an amazing way to support women in frontline communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon! Hakhu is the community development initiative of women of the Sarayaku community. The Sarayaku People champion a long history of fighting extraction and protecting Indigenous rights and the planet. Their designs are Amazonian Kichwa inspired patterns, and all purchases go toward supporting local, community-led projects. – JULIA
www.hakhu.net

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PACARI CHOCOLATE

Family-owned Pacari Chocolate is the first single-origin organic chocolate bar made entirely in Ecuador. The brand claims its chocolate is made with some of the rarest and most delicious cacao beans on earth — and after tasting it, I can see why! This bean to bar brand gives a damn about the environment and workers— and in the chocolate trade, that’s not very common! – FLETCHER
www.pacarichocolate.us

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COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE

You can support small-scale farmers in your own community by purchasing a share from a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Participating in a CSA means more than just buying locally — you’ll be investing in the farm: sharing in the financial risk and providing farmers with the money they need, when they need it. In exchange, you’ll enjoy farm-fresh food while strengthening sustainable, local food systems. – JENICA
www.localharvest.org/csa

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THE KNAPSACK PROJECT BY MAGGIE’S ORGANICS

Maggie’s Organics is a leader in the organic and fair trade apparel industry. Their beautifully crafted knapsacks are made in collaboration with women-organized sewing centers in Tanzanian organic cotton farming communities. Here, the women’s talent and expertise, typically used to sew and repair cotton-harvesting sacks, are used to create functional, new knapsacks for the global market. Maggie’s will also include a free knapsack in orders of 12 pairs of socks or more and will donate $12 from the order back to the farming communities where the bags were sewn. – DANA
www.maggiesorganics.com

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We asked members of our staff and editorial board to share some of their favorite fairly traded products by organizations that are working to create a mutually beneficial and just global economy.

FAIR. Quinoa Vodka

I’m quite fond of a good cocktail every now and then. FAIR’s Quinoa Vodka is my go-to vodka because of its mild, pleasant nuttiness. Plus, the company emphasizes supporting small-scale farmers. When quinoa got “discovered” as a superfood a few years ago, market prices went up, and big producers entered the market to cash in, making it tough for those for whom this was a traditional staple to compete. How can fair trade support food sovereignty? That seems like a great topic to discuss with a cocktail! – ANNA
fair-drinks.com

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Little Green Radicals Red Classic Dungaree

As a new parent, it feels like there’s always new stuff to purchase for my growing child, and it takes extra digging to find products that I can really feel good about. One company that makes it easy is Little Green Radicals. Their supply chains are transparent, they use fair trade and organic cotton, and their fabrics range from classic solids to on-trend patterns. My only complaint is that they don’t make anything in my size! – JENICA
littlegreenradicals.co.uk

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Mata Traders Shimmer Fan Earrings

I love Mata Trader’s beautiful pieces and unique designs. In the fashion and apparel world, it can be difficult to find fashionable pieces without an exploitative backstory. With a commitment to fair trade and gender equality, each Mata Trader’s purchase has a strong social impact. The simple and bold design of these fan earrings is sure to get compliments, and you can feel good telling your friends that you supported women’s fair trade cooperatives in India. – JULIA
matatraders.com

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Alaffia Vanilla Shea Body Lotion

I love all of Alaffia’s body care products, but my favorite is the Shea Butter and Lemon-grass Body Lotion with Vanilla. Knowing that they only use fairly sourced ingredients helps me rest at night, and I’m inspired by their dedication to empowering Togolese women and creating economically sustainable communities. – DANA
alaffia.com

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AgroEco Coffee from Community Agroecology Network (CAN)

AgroEco Coffee is an alternative trade model developed by the Community Agroecology Network (CAN) and supported by Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting. Partnering with small-scale farmers in Mexico and Nicaragua, it emphasizes the leadership and participation of farmer families in the ecological production of coffee. What I especially like about this model is the explicit commitment to a women’s unpaid labor fund, which compensates women for their uncompensated and often overlooked contributions to childcare, eldercare, and other household activities. – ryan
canunite.org | santacruzcoffee.com

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Our staff and editorial board share some of their favorite foods (and drinks!) that offer their own answer to those questions – and are delicious, too.

Find them online or at your favorite natural food store!

TWIN OAKS TOFU

As a vegan of twenty years, tofu has long been a staple in my diet. Tofu gets a bad reputation for being bland but I love to show people that, properly prepared, it’s delicious. Twin Oaks tofu is produced using organic soybeans grown in Virginia where it is made. Twin Oaks is a worker-owned cooperative that seeks to encourage collectivism and democratic decision-making. Their 100+ members pool what they earn through their community businesses, and that is just another way the makers of this glorious tofu are changing the food system. – FLETCHER
www.TwinOaksTofu.com

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FREY VINEYARDS ORGANIC ZINFANDEL

Frey Vineyards has been a pioneer in the organic wine industry for almost forty years. The first organic and biodynamic winery in the U.S., Frey Vineyards has an amazing selection of organic and biodynamic wines. My favorite wine is their biodynamic Zinfandel. It is a bold red wine, perfect for winter evenings. Additionally, the Frey family has been a strong advocate for organic standards and GMO-free agriculture. – RYAN
www.FreyWine.com

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SWANTON BERRY FARMS ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES

Organic strawberries from Swanton Berry Farms are by far the best strawberries I have ever tasted. They are fresh, organic and union-grown. It makes sense that Swanton strawberries are the tastiest, since their farmworkers are treated with respect and dignity through union contracts, living wages and good health care. This is the way all of our produce should be grown! – DANA
www.SwantonBerryFarm.com

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CAFÉ MAM ORGANIC MOCHÓ BLEND

With so many choices of coffee, my personal favorite morning wake-up cup is Café Mam. Arabica beans, native to Ethiopia, are grown in the Mam region of Chiapas, in the Sierra Madre mountains, by organic, small-scale farmers. With a belief in honoring and healing the earth, sustainable development, education in organic agriculture, and so much more, Café Mam is setting a high standard for ethical coffee production. Their love of the land can be tasted with each sip. My personal favorites are the Italian Roast and Mochó Blend. – STUART
www.CafeMam.com

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EQUAL EXCHANGE PALESTINIAN FARMER BOX

Last spring, I took a chance and placed an order for a box of food that I knew I would not taste for nine months. It paid off, and I got to sample the most delicious, rich dates I had ever tasted, as well as some of the most flavorful almonds – when shelled, each tasted like it had the essence of two or three ordinary almonds concentrated inside. Equal Exchange is a long-time leader in the fair trade movement, and this project is an innovative way to engage eaters directly in supporting small-scale farmer supply chain development. I am looking forward to seeing some of the treats from this box show up in their regular product line-up – and for more opportunities to engage in these kinds of projects. – ANNA
www.EqualExchange.coop

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