A woman from Oro Verde picks coffee beans

Did you know that the leading origin of Fair Trade Certified Coffee sold in the United States is Peru?  It’s true!  In 2008, 22,105,130 pounds of coffee were imported from Fair Trade cooperatives in Peru.  You can consult the Fair Trade Almanac for more interesting Fair Trade statistics like this.

Oro Verde warehouse worker

Peru is home to the Cooperativa agraria cafetaleria y de servicios Oro Verde LTDa. Oro Verde is located in northern Peru in the city of Lamas, part of the San Martín region. Lamas is a city with slightly over ten thousand inhabitants, and it is very connected to the cultural and ethnic heritage of the Andean and Quechua-speaking indigenous people that have lived there for thousands of years.

Oro Verde was officially established as a cooperative in 1999 and began producing Fair Trade Certified coffee in 2002. The cooperative has over 400 members and produces over 2 million pounds of coffee a year. Since it began selling Fair Trade Certified coffee, Oro Verde has been able to open technical schools for growers and their families, as well as make structural improvements to primary schools, provide credit for farmers needing to make improvements to their farms, and create an emergency fund for health problems that might arise among members of the cooperative.

Oro Verde women sorting coffee beans

To learn more about Oro Verde head to their producer profile on TransFair USA’s website!

Help Oro Verde and other cooperatives start a soccer team! The Give a Soccer Team to a Village gift shows that you support Fair Trade’s ability to empower farmers around the world by giving them opportunities where they would not have had them otherwise. If you like soccer, then spread the love of the sport by giving a Gift of Fairness!