Enjoying the Difference
Grown in the tropical jungle setting that characterizes the Chiapas
region, this delicate coffee offers a light to medium body with mild
acidity. Mexican coffee offers a balanced cup with overtones of spices
and fruit.
Making a Difference
Mexican coffee cooperatives emerged in the mid and late eighties
when the Mexican coffee industry was in crisis. Coffee prices were so
low that many small-scale farming families could not survive. In
response to the Mexican coffee crisis, 16,000 small-scale farmers came
together to address the situation collectively. They created an
independent cooperative to bypass local middlemen and export their
coffee directly. They now sell much of their coffee to the Fair Trade
market and are guaranteed a price that will support the co-op’s member
families.
The premiums from Fair Trade coffee sponsor programs in the
community, including:
- A microcredit project and a credit union
- The purchase of village warehouses, trucks, and scales
- Technical assistance for improvement in coffee quality and yield
- A rural development project
“Fair Trade is not a handout. It allows us to save and invest our
money
and improve our lives. Most importantly, Fair Trade gives coffee
producers hope for a better future.”
Jaime Hernandez, Marketing Manager, CEPCO