Main Facts of the Partnership
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Partners: |
Association of Small Coffee Growers of the North of Cauca (ASCAFE) |
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Supported by: |
UN Verification Mission in Colombia |
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Value: |
US $11,300,000 |
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Duration: |
5 years |
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Participants: |
890 people |
Overview of the Partnership
PASO Colombia established contacts with and worked to build confidence between ex-combatants and the National Federation of Coffee Growers in the department of Cauca. After a year of facilitating this relationship, the result is a commercial agreement between the Association of Small Coffee Growers of the North of Cauca (ASCAFE), the Territorial Spaces for Training and Reincorporation (ETCR) of the North of Cauca, and one of the five biggest coffee corporations in the world: Illy Caffè.
This agreement guarantees the commercialization of all the coffee the signing cooperatives of peasants and ex-combatants can grow for the next five years at a minimum price that is 15 cents over the New York market price. Around 890 families benefit from this agreement.
In addition, a long-term relationship between ex-combatants and the Colombian coffee industry was consolidated, since the National Federation of Coffee Growers provides technical assistance and support to ex-combatants in the production of 1,000,000 kilos of coffee, as well as in conducting a viability study for building a coffee processing plant for the region.
The Rural Alternative Schools of Buenos Aires and Tuluá participate in this partnership cultivating coffee, providing training and technical assistance in production, and developing infrastructure for storing and processing coffee.