From the Bean to the Cup - Costa Rica's COOCAFE Cooperative

What is COOCAFÉ? It is a Consortium of Coffee Cooperatives of Guanacaste & Montes de Oro in Costa Rica. COOCAFE is an interesting example of the counterbalance between the interests of small farmers and those of larger plantations that result from a long history of agrarian reform and government programs supporting small farmer cooperatives.

COOCAFE was established in 1988 because small scale farmers who produce coffee for the Fair Trade market, needed to build an economy of scale large enough to warrant their getting the necessary direct marketing and other services for the nine coffee member cooperatives.
In 1840, Costa Rica registered coffee exports for the first time. Currently, coffee employs more than 5% of the total national labor force and accounts for more than 11% of all export revenues.
In relation to the rural workforce, coffee employs more than 20% of it. In Costa Rica, there are more than 72,942 coffee growers and 62% of them are members of coffee cooperatives.
COOCAFE is the second largest cooperative with a membership surpassing 6,000 small farmer members from areas such as Pilangosta, Tilaran, Coopeldos, Sant Elena, Sarapiqui, Buenavista, Montes de Oro, Llano Bonito and Guanacaste.
The average coffee farm in Costa Rica is about 4.95 acres (2 "hectares"). Many of these small scale farmers also grow side by side with coffee other crops such as citrus, plantains, root vegetables like yucca and macadamias.
Small scale farms benefit by grouping together in order to deal directly with the coffee selling channels. Membership in the coop gives selling power to all the members. It s also beneficial to buyers who have a consistent and unified source of coffee.
Members of the coop agree to grow coffee by following common standards, growing practices and a commitment to specified objectives.
Being part of a cooperative dedicated to the common goal of increasing the coffee quality gives farmers an opportunity to differentiate their coffee and to get premium prices.
Generally speaking, small scale coffee farmers lack the education and training to improve health and safety practices at the farm on their own. For this reason, they benefit a great deal from the collaboration with coop membership leaders.
The process is ongoing and it includes "train the trainers" programs. This system works well because community leaders and others can learn the information and disseminate it to others.
Seminars are scheduled regularly and may include topics such as awareness of risks associated with growing coffee, increased knowledge of prevention mechanisms to ensure successful coffee growth, safe bean storage and management of fertilizers, and personal safety measures for good health.

Costa Rica's passion for coffee and its great coffee help promote the use of cooperatives and their positive influence on the coffee trade. Time will tell how much greater will be the coffee that Costa Rica will offer in the future. In the meantime, what about a delicious cup of Costa Rican Tarrazu coffee?

About this Author

Timothy ("Tim") S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him "The Gourmet Coffee Guy." He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

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