Cooperative: COOPERVITAE (Cooperativa Agropecuária de Produtos Orgânicos de NovaResende e Região)

Region: Nova Resende

Process: Pulped Natural Process

Altitude: 800 to 1200 Meters

Varietal: Catuai Vermelho, Catuai Amarelo, Mundo Novo

COOPERVITAE was founded by a small group of producers on July 13, 2001. The group became Fair Trade certified in 2006.

Since becoming Fair Trade certified, COOPERVITAE has grown dramatically. The cooperative members are enthusiastic about the benefits of organic agriculture, lowering the cost of production and increasing the quality of their coffee.

There are currently approximately 370 members in COOPERVITAE. The cooperative holds both monthly and yearly meetings to make decisions. COOPERVITAE produces 20 containers per year. Only 4 are organic and represent coffee from roughly 25 producers. There are roughly 50 producers in transition.

All Production is natural-processed coffee. The cooperative donates fresh fruit and vegetables to local schools, daycares and hospitals. COOPERVITAE uses premium funds to teach proper handling and use of protective equipment when working with pesticides.

COOPERVITAE used 2009 premium funds to provide English classes to several cooperative employees. The producers hope this investment will strengthen their direct relationships with English-speaking customers.