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From The Amazonian Region of Southern Ecuador

Fair Trade – Organic – Washed

Fast Facts:
Founded: 2002, 1800 members
Varietal: Arabica – Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, Catimor
Elevation: 1300-2000 meters above sea level
Profile: Sweet, clean, well-balanced, simple, dark chocolate, creamy

FAPECAFES (Federación Regional de Asociaciones de Pequeños Cafetaleros Ecológicos del Sur), located in the mountainous Amazonian region of southern Ecuador, is an umbrella organization of cooperatives growing, processing and exporting green coffee, honey and plantains. It was established in 2002 to improve the conditions of the farmers through organic and sustainable farming practices; and in 2003, received Fair Trade certification. FAPECAFES has been producing coffee for export since its inception. It’s approximately 95% small-scale farmers, growing on fewer than 10 hectares of land; and they produce some 6,000,000 pounds of coffee per year. Since 2013, Cooperative Coffees (Thread’s importing cooperative) has been sourcing Ecuadorian coffee from two of the primary organizations located in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe. APECAP, founded in 2002, is located in the municipality of Palanda and has approximately 300 members. ACRIM, founded a year later in the neighboring municipality of Zumba as an offshoot of APECAP, has 180 members (of whom 45 are women). These two organizations produce nearly 75 percent of the overall volume of FAPECAFES’ coffee, and have considerable leverage in the management and governance of this umbrella cooperative.

FAPECAFES members in general have struggled to cope with roya (coffee leaf rust), and have seen their production levels drop to nearly half the volumes of the 2013-2014 harvest season. The base organizations have been encouraging their members to implement control practices, such as foliar sprays of “caldos bordeles” – an “organic-certification accepted” mixture of lime, sulfur and other minerals to help combat the problem. But many producers are experimenting with their own compost tea by mixing effective microorganisms, milk, vegetable waste, manure and fermenting for 30 days before spraying.Since there is a limited amount of high quality washed Ecuadorian Arabica coffee available in the world market, and low production due to roya, FAPECAFES has introduced a commercial strategy to place itself as one of the highest quality providers of xportcuadorian coffees. Since 2008 it has been sponsoring the “Bracamoros Coffee” festival, including a cupping competition, in the Zamora-Chinchipe area. Such quality initiatives have in many cases quadrupled the income of farmers, and helped raise the profile of Ecuadorian coffees.

This is a brand new coffee for Thread, and we’re excited for you to try it! Enjoy!

Purchase online or pick-up a bag at Red Emma’s.

Photos courtesy of Cooperative Coffees

Visit FAPECAFES’ website to learn more!

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