Shade Grown Coffee: A Journey to Peru

A Four Part Series Chronicling Arbor Day Coffee

Part Two - La Florida Coffee Co-op

With natural rainforest, high altitude and perfect coffee growing weather, the Chanchamayo region is a perfect area for growing amazing coffee. On the trip we had the opportunity to visit the La Florida Co-op near La Merced. La Florida, like all Fair Trade coffee farms, was organized and governed by a community cooperative that is made up of elected members of the co-op. After starting with only 54 members in 1966 the co-op has grown to over 1700 members, proving that by working together they can provide benefits that they are unable to achieve alone.

How the Co-op Benefits all of its members

Through quality coffee and additional certifications like Fair Trade, Organic, and Shade Grown the co-op is now able to take a portion of the profits and use them in various ways to help the entire co-op. The extra income is either used to improve processing centers, improve the quality of coffee or create infrastructure like roads or bridges, and providing transportation vehicles to insure the coffee can arrive to the processing centers. In addition, the funds are used to help the co-op members and their families by helping to build schools, support medical centers, improve water quality, or to help finance farmers.

As the co-op grows in size, the entire community grows stronger and as a group they continue to maintain the forest or restore it if was deforested. Help support the co-op by trying the coffee that made a Specialty Coffee Association Super Taster and Cup of Excellence Judge say, "That was the best cup of coffee I have ever had at while visiting a coffee farm".