The Central Piurana de Cafetaleros (CEPICAFE) was founded in March 1995 with 200 members. Today CEPICAFE has grown into a second level non-profit organization which represents coffee and sugar cane producers of the Piuran mountains and the northeast of Peru. Currently, CEPICAFE consists of 71 base organizations and 8 zonal committees, with a total of 4,811 producers. In 2007, they exported 65 containers of Fair Trade organic coffee and 5 transitional. For 2008, they plan to export 70 containers of FT organic coffee and 5 transitional. For 2008, their main objective is to sell 100% of their coffee to the specialty market, to strengthen their organization and to establish good commercial alliances.

CENFROCAFE (Central Fronteriza del Norte de Cafetaleros) is one of the farmer organizations who supply Cooperative Coffees' contracts. It was founded in 1999 with 220 small-scale coffee farmers in 11 community-based organizations. Today CENFROCAFE serves 1,480 farmers in 52 organizations. CENFROCAFE families own on average 3 hectares of land, of which half might be under coffee cultivation. Their growing altitudes range from 1,300 to 1,800 meters. But despite the hard work that has gone into coffee in this prime productive region, farmers continue live under the most rudimentary conditions.

The cooperative alliance between CEPICAFE, OROVERDE and CENFROCAFE, has provided important services to thousands of small-scale farmers (members and non-members alike) in the coffee regions of Northern Peru, who without a strong organization would have otherwise been abandoned without access to even the most basic health, education and other social services.

CENFROCAFE founding member and current president of the producer Board of Directors, Anselmo Huaman Moreto explains: “A huge difference in our lives is that now our children can actually go to school, our coffee is being recognized in the market for the quality we produce, and our members can be proud again to be farmers.”

Through the consolidation of producer organizations under the CEPICAFE umbrella, producers are now active and respected agents for sustainable development in their region. They have worked collectively to improve quality and overall production under certified organic practices. Farmers also enjoy access to financing and to development projects. This has facilitated the diversification of their production base to include a range of products from brown sugar, marmalades and cocoa to crafts and coffee tourism.