APECAFORM (Asociación de Pequeños Caficultores Orgánicos Maya-Mames) is composed of 350 members living in 17 communities.

APECAFORM is in its fifth harvest of organic certified production. Now, between 80% and 85% of their production is organic and the rest is in transition. There are now 266 members under certification and 80 percent of their total production goes to the cooperative for sale to the Fair Trade market. Exporting through Manos Campesinas to Fair Trade markets has meant the difference between selling coffee at $32.50 per quintal parchment to coyotes and $92.75 per quintal now as APECAFORM members.

Cooperative Coffees has purchased coffee from Apecaform through its umbrella marketing organization, Manos Campesinas, since our first year of operations. Through a strategic credit partnership between EcoLogic, Apecaform, and Cooperative Coffees, producers have been able to increase direct Fair Trade sales by 50% annually for the last 3 years. Their average yield of organic coffee is 22 quintal an hectare.

Achievements from the fair trade premiums include:
• Purchasing land and constructing a warehouse in Malacatan
• Creating a community fund to support their network of organic promoters and coordinators.

Goals for the future include:
• Construction of a wet processing plant in each of the five community centers
• Administering a timely credit fund capable of offering producers adequate pre-financing
• Increasing their membership