Peru – Pangoa

Founded in 1977 by just 50 farmers, Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa rapidly expanded to 1,700 members by the early 1980s. Despite this early success, the cooperative faced significant challenges during El Periodo del Terrorismo, as political violence erupted. Throughout the 1980s, peasants were increasingly targeted by violence, first by the military and then by the insurgent group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). Many farmers fled to urban areas to escape the ongoing violence in the Pangoa region. Today, the cooperative is recovering and growing, with 700 small-scale farmers, continuing its mission to positively impact the economic and environmental lives of Peruvian coffee producers.

From its inception, Pangoa committed to investing 3% of all sales into organizational and community development. Using premiums from its Fair Trade coffees, Pangoa has funded various programs to support its members. These include an educational lending program to help parents cover university fees, a health fund providing interest-free loans for medical care, a Women’s Development Committee ensuring equal representation for female growers, specialized women's health care services, a tree renovation program, and death benefits to cover funerary costs for members' families.

Beyond social service programs, Pangoa has enhanced its coffee production capabilities by constructing wet processing plants and improving drying patios. Recently, Pangoa has initiated projects to diversify income opportunities for its members, including cocoa and honey production, local coffee roasting and sales, and promoting ecotourism.

Pangoa represents farmers throughout the San Martin de Pangoa region in Peru, located just east of the Andes. The area features diverse terrain, with farms situated at elevations from 1,000 to 2,000 meters. Farmers in this region produce a variety of Arabica varietals, including Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Pache. The coffee from Pangoa is known for its medium acidity and body, with rich notes of cocoa, almond, and berries.

The Pangoa cooperative received Fair Trade certification in 2003 and Organic certification in 2002.