W skrócie
Location: Cusco, Peru
Impact Area: Suppliers
Osoby objęte wsparciem:
drobni producenci rolni
Dołączył do NESsT Portfolio:
2024
O przedsiębiorstwie
The Lacco Valley is one of Peru’s most biodiverse regions and home to the Indigenous communities of Mendosayoc and Juyhuay. The flora found in the valley produces some of the finest coffee beans in the world. Due to a lack of accessible roads and infrastructure in the area, local farmers have historically struggled to commercialize their coffee production.
Café Orígenes was founded in 2021 in response to the increasingly evident reality that coffee growers in the Lacco Valley have not benefited from the economic growth of the specialty coffee industry. The cooperative's mission is to sell traceable, ethically-sourced specialty coffee and ensure fair pay for producers who are often excluded from the traditional coffee value chain. Today it supports 64 coffee growers and their families.
Mapacho communities consist of small-scale Andes farmers whose identities are directly connected to their territories. They live off the land in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem and its biodiversity in a way of life centered around community sustainability. Café Orígenes uses its profits to assist more farmers in increasing their income through specialized agroecology training, a method of sustainable farming that works with the natural landscape. This training improves the quality of life in the farmers’ communities, increasing their income by selling quality products from their own land.
The cooperative also places great emphasis on encouraging youth and women’s participation in specialty coffee production. Specifically, the Café Orígenes women’s committee is engaged in an empowerment program to support local women to access healthcare, literacy and soft skills training, farming knowledge, and quality jobs within the cooperative. To date, over 40 local women have participated in the workshops.
Café Orígenes recognizes the importance of environmental conservation and has supported its producers to increase their productivity and income by 46% through promoting shade-grown coffee methods and soil recovery and agroforestry projects. These initiatives conserve local biodiversity and support farmers to adapt to climate change.
Rezultaty i wpływ
33%
of the management team is women
66%
of the management team is from excluded groups
160
marginalized suppliers received training
“With NESsT, we found a partner who understands that systemic change cannot be achieved with a singular focus on individual metrics or arbitrarily short timelines. They support our vision and help us develop strategies for the short, medium, and long-term, balancing economic success with our social and environmental goals. NESsT remains a key ally as we redefine the priorities of the specialty coffee industry to place greater value on farmer well-being and sustainability. ”
Inwestycja NESsT
Located in one of the most biodiverse areas of Peru, Café Orígenes is a cooperative with great social and environmental impact. With NESsT’s support, it is committed to generating more dignified employment opportunities for local communities, especially young people and women.
NESsT portfolio managers will work alongside the Café Orígenes team to consolidate its management team, improve its human resources practices, and enhance its financial management. We will support the cooperative to create a business strategy for both international and local markets, with a strong focus on building a brand that highlights the traceability and sustainability of its coffee. By supporting Café Orígenes to communicate its commitment to ethical practices and environmental conservation, NESsT will support it to stand out in the market and attract new potential investors.
Additionally, NESsT will share its experience and knowledge of working with coffee cooperatives, allowing Café Orígenes tolearn best practices alongside other enterprises in the NESsT portfolio.