UNICAFEC - Asociación Unión de Cafetaleros Ecológicos

Asociación Unión de Cafetaleros Ecológicos (UNICAFEC) was founded in 2001 as a response to the highly competitive coffee market that flooded the region, dominated by multi-nationals leaving small farmer organizations at the mercy of unfair middlemen. UNICAFEC is a small association based in the town of San Ignacio, the northernmost province of Peru along the border with Ecuador. Agriculture is the main source of income in this poverty stricken region and coffee is its main crop. UNICAFEC has been instrumental to the 379 producers it serves by providing easier access to credit for fertilizer purchases, for example, or in the commercialization of their crop and providing consistent technical assistance. UNICAFEC works hard to ensure producers are able to sell their product for the best prices to demanding markets and that they implementing technologies that also allow them to compete in specialty markets.