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CoopSol AGM 2010
From January 15th to the 21st, several of Coop Coffees' members and producer partners convened in Peru for meetings and field visits during Coop Sol's 2010 annual assembly. Despite a grueling schedule (so much to do in one short week!), unexpected road blocks and run-ins with the police, everyone who participated came away with a better understanding of what fair trade truly is and should continue to be on the ground, with our partners, and within our coop.
Gather 12 representatives of CC member-roasters with 17 reps from our partner cooperatives under one roof and you're bound to experience something momentous. This year's Coop Sol annual assembly proved to be such an event as leaders and members of producer coops from all over Latin America set aside time from their busy schedules to make their way over to Lima, Peru for meetings with Coop Coffees members from all over North America. But that was only the beginning! After day-long meetings in Lima, part of the group headed north to Piura and Jaen to visit with producer partners and Coop Sol members CEPICAFE and CENFROCAFE. The rest of the group traveled east to the Central Amazon region of Peru for a visit with CAC Pangoa -- also a partner of CC and member of Coop Sol.
The northern delegation began with a stay in Montero -- an agricultural community located approximately 2 1/2 hours from Piura by car (4 1/2 by the old, rickety bus we had the pleasure of riding!!) where Cepicafe has launched its Ecotourism project with a fully equipped cozy little eco-lodge perched above the village. The alternative tourism program is designed to invite people from other countries or other parts of Peru to get to know the surrounding landscape, the host community, their way of life, and the work they do to produce high quality coffee, panela (unrefined cane sugar), and cocoa. We had the opportunity to meet with several members of the community, including Luz Castillo, the wife of and co-owner with our gracious restaurant hosts who served us delicious meals and serenaded us in the evening during our stay.
After Montero, we made the LONG traverse across the Andes to Jaen where the central headquarters of CENFROCAFE. The next 2 days were packed: meetings in which Cenfrocafe showed us their impressive system of classifying and tracing quality coffees; cuppings with their highly qualified and talented cuppers; field visits where we got a full demonstration of the extensive quality control project they've recently implemented, working with 50 young adults to provide technical assistance to their 2100 members. It was a lot of running around but well worth the ride! Perhaps the most beneficial element to the whole experience was the exchange both between roasters and producers as well as between producer representatives.
Our adventure to the central jungle region of Pangoa began with a breathtaking journey across the Andes from Lima through the barren strip mining region of La Oroya, over the oxygen-thin, mountain pass of Ticlio (4,800 meters-above-sea level - yes that is 16,000 feet!) and through the lush green jungle regions of Satipo to San Martin de Pangoa. What was expected to be an eight-hour drive stretched to a 15-hour ordeal due to mud, pot-holes and all the necessary leg-stretching stops along the way. It proved to be the first of our many team-building experiences in store for the week!
Once in Pangoa territory, we began our whirlwind tour -- with breakfast in the Machiguenga indigenous community of Sonomoro. With bellies full of omelet, potatoes, wonderful fresh fruits and juices and of course - copious amounts of coffee - we began the coffee plot criss-cross from Pangoa member to member lands to learn about their vast variety of projects and improvements. We learned of Fabio Sarzo's impressive organic production practices and yields - due to careful tending of the land and clever bocashi, vermicompost and mineralized foliar ferments. We discussed with Jesus Huaman the costs and benefits of his new solar drying frame and his expected improvements in quality. We over-nighted with both Isaac Cotachi and Zilda Lamberto's families and learned of their plans to construct food and lodging capacity and to offer eco-tourism experiences on their land.
It was truly "never a dull moment"! En route to the communities - one of our invited guests from Colombia lost his passport - a could-be traumatic experience completely taken in stride. The vital document eventually found its way back some three days later - thanks to an honest citizen and an incessant radio campaign! Meanwhile - four other guests were intercepted by a brigade of tough-looking narco-police and held for hours of questioning because they had decided NOT to carry their passports with them! Damned if you do, damned if you don't....
Eventually we were able to reunite all our team and respective documents - and prepare our final day of exchange, learning and celebration before piling into our overnight bus back to Lima.
