ASSOPRO - Associação dos Pequenos Produtores de Ouro Fino

ASSOPRO is a relatively new producer organization located in Ouro Fino, Minas Gerais in southern Brazil, a mountainous region intercut with beautiful valleys and altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,600 meters. The cooperative became Fair Trade Certified™ in late 2009 and completed its first Fair Trade Certified sale soon after. The association voted to use the first round of Fair Trade premiums to rent a space for their headquarters. The association is one of fifteen Brazilian Fair Trade Certified producer groups that participated in the 2007-2010 Responsible Sourcing Partnership (RSP) project. The RSP project is a result of a partnership between USAID, Fair Trade USA, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and SEBRAE-MG designed to improve the quality of Brazilian coffee, increase market linkages and raise producer capacity. Through the partnership, ASSOPRO participated in numerous trainings to improve coffee quality. The events and workshops included cooperative governance, business management, cupping and post-harvest best practices trainings.