South America

From the mountainous coffee-growing regions to lush rainforests where farmers harvest cocoa, we are investing in the growth of high-impact agricultural enterprises in South America. We work with a network of clients in Colombia and Ecuador, while our Lima-based partner organization, ACCDER, serves the needs of cooperatives and privately-owned businesses throughout Peru.
APROCASSI: Changing the Lives of Women in Peru

This coffee cooperative is growing its business by relying on the leadership of women. Every morning, Dora Lisa Carrión Gómez rises early to make the morning shift at Saja, the cafe she manages in the quiet Andean town of San Ignacio in northern Peru. Saja is owned and operated by members of the APROCASSI coffee cooperative’s women’s group. These 72…

C.A.C. Pangoa: Providing an Alternative to Coca Production in Peru

In the wake of paramilitary violence, this cooperative gave farmers alternatives to the drug trade—and became the beating heart of its rural community. Nestled in the foothills where the Amazon rainforest meets the towering Andes Mountains, the Peruvian town of San Martín de Pangoa exudes an aura of calm. Life seems to move at a leisurely pace; ambling through the…

C.A.C. Chirinos: Building Long-Term Resilience to Climate Change in Peru

When aging coffee trees and a deadly fungus threatened farmer livelihoods, this cooperative invested in long-term sustainability. Perched high atop a steep mountain in the lush Cajamarca region of northern Peru sits the proud town of Chirinos. Boasting a modern church and brand-new municipal building that serve as bookends to a well-manicured central plaza, the town hums with signs of…