Farmer Partners

We've worked with small farmer organizations since our founding in 1986, beginning with a co-op in Nicaragua, and now sourcing from over 40 small farmer organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Our longstanding relationships allow us to secure the best crops, while continuing to develop innovative programs in collaboration with the co-ops, from crop diversification to quality trainings to women's leadership development. Meet some of our farmer partners by clicking on the maps. 

North America

  • CEPCO, Mexico

    CEPCO was founded in 1989 in the midst of a severe crisis in Mexico's coffee industry. Originally formed through the efforts of more than 7,400 small coffee producers, today CEPCO is the largest association of small coffee producers in Oaxaca.

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  • CESMACH, Mexico

    Formed in 1994, Campesinos Ecológicos de la Sierra Madre de Chiapas (CESMACH) is a coffee co-operative in the southern highlands of Chiapas, Mexico.

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South America

  • ACOPAGRO, Peru

    Initially funded by the United Nation's program to promote cacao cultivation as an alternative to growing coca leaves, ACOPAGRO is now an established exporter of quality cacao.

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  • ACOZC, Paraguay

    La Asociación de Cañicultores Organicos de la Zona Central (ACOZC) was formed in 2002 to improve the livelihoods of small-scale sugar producers.

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  • ANTOFAGASTA, Bolivia

    High in the Andean mountains east of Lake Titicaca, a few dozen families cultivate coffee and food crops on small farms ranging from 4 to 6 acres in size.

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  • CACVRA, Peru

    The Agrarian Coffee Cooperative of the Apurimac River Valley (CACVRA) was formed in 1969 to market coffee for small-scale farmers in Peru.

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  • CCAOC, Colombia

    Equal Exchange bought our first container of coffee from The Alto Occidente Coffee Cooperative of Caldas (CCAOC) in 1995.

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  • CEPIBO, Peru

    CEPIBO was formed by small scale banana farmers located across northern Peru as a non-profit cooperative to provide access to the international market by representing, coordinating and marketing banana exportation for 12 grower associations.

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  • Cooperativa Nor Andino, Peru

    Cooperativa Nor Andino is an association of small-scale coffee producers in northern Peru.

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  • El Guabo, Ecuador

    The story of El Guabo, one of Equal Exchange’s farmer partners, is a success story in grassroots organizing.

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  • Fortaleza del Valle, Ecuador

    Fortaleza del Valle was founded in 2005 to improve living conditions for small-scale cacao producers in the Manabí Province of Ecuador.

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  • Manduvira, Paraguay

    Cooperativa de Producción Agro-Industrial Manduvira Ltda (Manduvira Co-op) is located in the village of Arroyos y Esteros (Streams and Swamps), in the southwestern region of Paraguay.

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Central America

  • APECAFE, El Salvador

    The Association of Small Coffee Producers of El Salvador (APECAFE) is an organization that represents 11 coffee cooperatives located in different regions of El Salvador.

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  • COCABO, Panama

    Founded in 1952, the Multi-service Cacao Co-operative of Bocatoreña (COCABO) was the first agricultural co-operative established in Panama. COCABO is an organization of 1,500 small-scale cacao farmers.

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  • CONACADO, Dominican Republic

    The National Confederation of Dominican Cacao Producers (CONACADO) is an organization of small-scale cacao producers in the Dominican Republic.

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  • Las Colinas, El Salvador

    The Las Colinas co-operative in El Salvador is collectively farmed and managed on the site of an old coffee plantation.

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  • Manos Campesinas, Guatemala

    The Association of Small Coffee Producers, "Farmers' Hands" is an organization of small-scale coffee producers in the highlands of southwestern Guatemala.

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Africa

Asia

  • KBQB, Sumatra

    The Koperasi Baitul Qiradh Baburrayyan is an independent registered co-operative originally formed in 2002 by 63 farmers in the Indonesian Province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam.

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  • Mineral Springs Cooperative, Darjeeling, India

    The Mineral Springs Cooperative, also referred to as Sanjukta Vikas Cooperative, was one of the first small farming initiatives in the plantation controlled region of Darjeeling.

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  • PARC, West Bank

    PARC was founded in 1983 by agronomists and veterinarians in order to serve farmers in the agricultural sector.

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  • Potong Tea Garden, Darjeeling, India

    One example of TPI’s pioneering work is the development of Potong. Once a colonial plantation, the Potong Garden is now collectively run by its workers and paving a stronger, more democratic path forward for the community.

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  • SOFA and BioFoods, Sri Lanka

    The Small Organic Farmers Association (SOFA) project began in 1993 with the vision to establish a prosperous community living in harmony with the environment, and today there are over 1,600 small-scale landowner members.

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  • Tea Promoters India, Kolkatta, India

    Equal Exchange has worked with Tea Promoters of India (TPI) since 1998. TPI has been a pioneer in bringing environmental and social reform to the tea industry. TPI is a Darjeeling-based family operation that manages six organic, Fair Trade tea gardens.

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  • The Small Farmer Tea Project, Kerala, India

    The members of the Small Farmer’s Tea Project (SFTP) in Kerala, India are predominantly marginalized small producers and members of tribal groups who have suffered from social and economic injustice for generations.

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