COPROCAEL was founded in 2000 with just 27 producers and has since expanded to have 261 active producers, growing 115,000 bags of coffee across 2770 hectares of land. They are an entirely organic cooperative and also have RFA, CAFÉ Practices, and Faritrade certifications.
The farmers of COPROCAEL grow coffee primarily in the municipality of La Encarnacion, but are also in nearby Copan, Lempira, Intibuca, and Santa Barbara. The farms sit between about 1,200 and 1,600 meters above sea level, and they grow primarily Honduras originals Lempira and Ihcafe 90 varieties. Both varieties were developed in Honduras with the aim of fighting diseases like rust and coffee berry borer, and are based originally on catimor, but were selected for their quality while still being very hardy.
COPROCAEL buys wet cherry from their producers and manages all the processing themselves. This allows them to consolidate many smaller day’s harvests into larger lots, where they can utilize larger wet milling machines designed to reduce excessive water waste, which is then cleaned and recycled for future coffee processing, further reducing waste.
The cooperative has invested in the quality of their farmers, providing technical assistance, financing for farm maintenance, and they maintain local road infrastructure for access to the farms. They have also invested heavily in the people in the area, offering scholarships for low-income families to send their children to local school, implementing medial clinics for the farmers and improving housing for their low-income families.
