Founded in 1999 with 220 small-scale coffee farmers in eleven community-based associations, CENFROCAFE now serves thousands of farmer members in local associations spanning twelve districts within the lush Cajamarca Region. From technical assistance and quality control workshops for their farmers, to economic and leadership training for the young people in their rural communities, CENFROCAFE works not only to support the commercial endeavors of its members, but also to further the development of their communities. CENFROCAFE’s financial team routinely provides short-term credit that helps farmers cover front-end costs of the harvests, as well as materials for coffee production.

CENFROCAFE is one of the leaders in creating a cooperative alliance with like-minded associations in the greater Cajamarca Region to provide important technical and marketing services to thousands of small-scale farmers in Northern Peru. Their steady and strong organization helps local farmers, who would otherwise be left to their own devices in areas like marketing and sales for their coffee, and/or field management for their farms.

Results to date are impressive. Not only do CENFROCAFE farmers typically produce higher yields of organic coffee per hectare; they often place as top finalists in national and international quality competitions. The improved revenue for CENFROCAFE farmers has been instrumental for their access to basic health, education, and other services.

CENFROCAFE founding member and former president of the producer Board of Directors, Anselmo Huaman Moreto, explains: “A huge difference in our lives is that now our children can actually go to school, our coffee is being recognized in the market for the quality we produce, we are receiving a fair price for our efforts, and our members can be proud again to be farmers.”

We began importing from CENFROCAFE in 2005. Since then, our relationship with the cooperative has flourished, both in coffee purchases- with more than 2 million pounds directly bought- as well as with roaster-driven efforts to support production and quality improvement initiatives.