Join Sweetwater: Support Reforestation in Peru’s Coffeelands
Sweetwater Organic Coffee is teaming up with Grow Ahead to plant trees with Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa (CAC Pangoa), a fair trade coffee cooperative and Sweetwater partner. In supporting this women-led reforestation project, we can deepen our support for long-term trading partners and take action for the climate.
CAC Pangoa, a cooperative of 691 farmers and families based in the foothills of the Peruivan Amazon, has long been committed to growing coffee and cacao and combatting climate change. Through farmer-driven reforestation programs, CAC Pangoa farmers are restoring water and nutrients to their soil, increasing production of coffee and food and pulling carbon out of the atmosphere.
Grow Ahead & Sweetwater have teamed up with CAC Pangoa to support a women-run reforestation project in the Peruvian Amazon. The Pangoa Women’s Committee has a strong history of supporting the women producers in the cooperative and this project strives to provide economic opportunities for women and protect lands from the effects of climate change.
Solidarity with coffee farmers is important now more than ever.
That's where you can help.
Tackle climate change. Revitalize livelihoods. Regenerate land. Boost local food security. Plant a tree today for just $1.
About
Your donations will contribute to an on-going effort to raise money for Pangoa's reforestation project.
What are the total goals of the reforestation project?
- Work with 90 women cooperative members to
- Plant 22,500 trees on 45 hectares.
- Three community associations will be created to monitor ecosystem health and to support with education and capacity-building around conservation and fair carbon certification
What will the budget cover?
Tree planting is about more than just trees. This budget covers technical assistance for the management and implementation of the project, production and installation of coffee seedlings, production and installation of forest seedlings, installation of nurseries and the cost of conservation by the Women's Committee of Pangoa.
Does $1 really equal 1 tree?
$1 includes the cost of growing a tree at a nursery, transportation, material, ongoing maintenance, and operating costs (as outlined above).
Can you tell me more about CAC Pangoa?
CAC Pangoa was founded in 1977 by 50 farmers from the town of San Martin de Pangoa, with the aim of improving the price of its products; since then it has been working cooperatively and in solidarity in the face of the collective need of its members and the community at large. Since the early 2000s, Pangoa has focused on organic and fairtrade markets for both coffee and cacao, encouraging the shift to organics through a program of training and documenting practices according to international organic standards.
Aside from being an economic driver selling coffee, cocoa and honey, the cooperative plays a critical role in the community. CAC Pangoa focuses on the overall health and livelihoods of its members, funding critical health and wellness initiatives. The Health Services Fund covers members' medical costs, as well as costs associated with installing washrooms, toilets and kitchen stoves. Pangoa also supports the Education Fund, which pays for university education of young members and members’ children. CAC Pangoa is run by General Manager Esperanza Dionisio, the first woman to run a coffee cooperative in Peru. Under her leadership for the past 20 years, the cooperative has been committed to supporting women's involvement in the co-op, offering economic and engagement opportunities through the Women's Committee.
For more answers, please visit Grow Ahead’s FAQ.
Who is Sweetwater Organic Coffee?
Based in sunny Gainesville, Florida, Sweetwater Organic Coffee supplies freshly roasted coffee to grocery stores, cafes, coffee houses and individual consumers across the United States. A certified B Corp, Sweetwater only sources fair trade and organic coffee from farmer-owned cooperatives.
Continue to support Pangoa by purchasing Sweetwater's Peru Full City Roast. Sweetwater has sourced CAC Pangoa's coffee every year since 2009, and the company regularly travels to Peru to visit Esperanza and Pangoa farmers.
