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FECAFEB
The Federation of Exporting Coffee Producers (FECAFEB)
was founded in 1991 as a national organization to defend the rights and
needs of small-scale coffee farmers. FECAFEB has taken huge steps forward
and seems to be right in stride with the new Bolivian political reality in
support of Indigenous voice and rights. FECAFEB is currently comprised of 30
coffee producer organizations, representing some 8,700 families.ople,
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In May, 2006, we traveled over
1000 km throughout the coffee growing regions (the Yungas) to visit with
producers and communities of FECAFEB. On this trip we contracted our first
ever direct purchase of Bolivian coffee from a producer community named
AIPEP (Associacion Integral de Productores Ecologicos de Pumiri). AIPEP has
been certified organic by IMO Control since 2002, but to date has not been
able to export directly, nor be adequately compensated for their organic
investment. We are the first buyers to ever offer AIPEP a direct trade
relationship.
AIPEP currently has 32 founding
members and 22 recently enlisted. The founding members have worked hard to
construct impressive internal systems for excellent organic production and
quality control, as well as solid mechanisms for assuring participation and
administrative oversite by the members.
On this trip we also formualted a
plan to return in October and hold the countries first ever Fair Trade
coffee event....the Bolivian Cup of Fair Trade. Conscious Coffees in
conjunction with Cooperative Coffees, FECAFEB, Cathlic Relief Services,
Transfair Canada, and BOCAFE (Association of Bolivian Cuppers of Coffee),
organised and executed an incredibly successful, national coffee event that
empowered countless small-scale farmers, strengthened community
cooperatives, and aims to further increase the quality standards from Fair
Trade harvests. |