Producer Profiles
FEDECARES - Federación de Caficultores de la Region Sur
FEDECARES serves as a focal point of the local coffee growing community, bringing together and educating members of small cooperatives from around the region. Today, it is comprised of 26 smaller groups, 184 base associations with 7,800 members within the whole Federation. All members are located in the southern regions of the Dominican Republic.
Quotable
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Before we discovered Fair Trade, I worked myself to exhaustion with no gain. Once the organization began to sell my coffee at the Fair Trade price my situation changed. Now my three sons are in high school, and I want to continue to sell my coffee at the Fair Trade price so I can provide them with a university education. ” Feliciano Lara Santana, FEDECARES Member
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The impact of Fair Trade doesn’t just refer to the possibility for a family to earn more from their harvest, but rather through the organization, they become the protagonist in their own development. Fair Trade offers us the opportunities with which we can positively influence the construction of a more equitable society. ” Rufino Herrera Puello, FEDECARES Member
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Programs
Premiums for cost of organic certification
Fair Trade premiums have been used to cover the costs of organic certification.
Health Fund
Farmers have used the Fair Trade Premium to assist with financement of medical assistance for their families or fellow members.
Microcredit program for members during harvest season
FEDECARES has a microcredit program that provides small loans to help farmers through difficult parts of the growing season and provides funds for commercialization of their coffee.