COSURCA is a secondary-level cooperative constituted on March 12th 1993, from the Southern Colombian Macizo Mountains, in the central and southern region of Cauca. The organization was established with the objective of furthering the economic development of a region that was largely cut off from the rest of the country due to civil war and political violence. With support from the Alternative Development Program of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and through the institutional cooperation of the Integrated Rural Development Program of the Colombian Government, COSURCA sought to offer alternatives to illicit coca production for small farmers in the area. Under the COSURCA umbrella, small farmer organizations received the support to develop markets for their products, primarily coffee, but also to receive financing through a loan and savings program, as well as technical assistance in production.

Since their inception, COSURCA has followed seven core values: Solidarity, Cooperation, Responsability, Honesty, Hard work, Social Engagement and Respect for individuals and Nature. COSURCA provides accompaniment and support in the technical, organizational, commercial, political, and judicial development of thousands of small farmer families, emphasizing organic and fair trade coffee production, food security, and self-sufficiency for communities through the production of staple crops, and more.

COSURCA exports fair trade coffee to small and medium wholesale coffee roasters, but also manages its own line of wholesale roasted coffee for the domestic market. As a fundamental tenet of its philosophy of economic development, COSURCA strives to be as inclusive as possible by engaging ethnic minority groups and women in the different projects it implements within its communities.

Coop Coffees began partnering with COSURCA in 2016. From 2018 onward, and with assistance from our Impact Fund, we were able to directly support numerous projects, training programs, and farm upgrades, such as when we invested in a centralized bio-fertilizer plant in Cauca!

Impact Work