History

Cooperative Coffees is a unique organization - a green coffee importing cooperative committed to supporting and partnering with small-scale coffee farmers and their exporting cooperatives. By importing directly from our partner-farmers, Cooperative Coffees seeks to creatively foster a more equitable and sustainable system of coffee trade that directly benefits these farmers, their families and their communities.

Organized in 1999, Cooperative Coffees is owned and managed collectively by a small group of specialty coffee roasters located in the United States and Canada. These roasters share a common interest and concern that each has addressed individually - the desire to source sustainably grown coffees and to work closely with the farmers growing it. These roasters know that by working together, cooperatively, they can more readily impact and multiply the positive effects of their selective coffee purchasing.

For more history, please visit the Fresh Cup article about Cooperative Coffees written by Karen Foley at

http://www.freshcup.com/back-issues/2002/2002-4/apr02_meetcoops.htm