Fondo Paez – Cafeé Naftewesh

The Paez (who also call themselves Nasa, or "the people") is the largest indigenous group in Colombia. Their land is in the Cordillera Central – centered around the mountains of the Cauca departamento (state). Fondo Paez was founded in 1992, with the primary goal of recuperating traditional agricultural knowledge and indigenous culture which had been buried by centuries of conflict and oppression.

Fondo Paez currently processes, markets, and exports their coffee through the Federation, but are completely independent in their internal decision-making process. They are governed democratically and incredibly well organized. They have been recently incorporated as an association in Colombia with its own legal identity. The work and successes of this organization are truly extraordinary when viewed within the context of Colombian politics and globalization.

The organization provides technical assistance for quality control and organic production to its cooperative members. Fondo Paez then works with these primary cooperatives to collect coffee and transport it to a nearby beneficio (coffee mill) to be processed. The coffee farmers are equal owners in the organization and receive not only the social benefits provided by Fondo Paez but also retain a much higher percentage of coffee profits compared to non-direct trade farmers.

Fondo Paez is completely committed to the self-sufficiency of their people and have a holistic approach to farming. This is most evident on their farms. Coffee is only one of many crops that are incorporated into a diverse, agro-forestry system. Food crops for their own consumption, feed crops for the farm animals and nitrogen fixing plants for the soil are given equal importance to their cash crops; coffee, sisal, beans, and different fruits.