Coffee Keeps Us Together
“The cooperative is very special to me because we began in poverty, but we got organized, we started helping each other, and we looked for a market that would be fair to us.”
- Romulo Sanchez, President of Rio Azul Cooperative
The story of Rio Azul is a testament to the loyalty that a jointly owned organization, a cooperative, can inspire in its members. Rio Azul is located in the hills outside of Huehuetenango in northwestern Guatemala, and was founded more than 40 years ago by a handful of coffee farmers who wanted to break the cycle of poverty that their families faced year after year. Gradually, Rio Azul afforded its members access to a fairer coffee markets; in its first few decades, the co-op’s membership of dedicated farmers grew steadily.
Then, in the 1990s, Rio Azul went through a period of severe mismanagement, and many farmers did not receive their rightful payments. While some members left the cooperative, 50 men and women remained dedicated to resurrecting their organization. Those who stayed completely reorganized the co-op; now, its administration and members are more committed and transparent.
While it has taken some time to recover its strength, Rio Azul is growing steadily again in strength and membership. Rio Azul provides farmers with agricultural training, access to credit, and subsidized medical care, education, and farm supplies. Through Sustainable Harvest, it has fostered long-term relationships with buyers.