Our Colombian coffee comes from Cooperativa del Sur del Cauca (CoSurCa). Beginning as the first smallholder farmers to export coffee independently, CoSurCa now represents over 1,500 families across 12 communities. It’s a place where coffee farming is woven into daily life and community identity. CoSurCa Cooperative is addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the coffee sector head-on. They use climate-smart agricultural training to help farmers adapt to shifting weather conditions, strengthen cooperative structures to withstand regional instability, and invest in inclusive governance to ensure farmers' voices are represented.

A farmer carrying a bag of coffee admires a decorative sign

We've partnered with CoSurCa for more than two decades. Over the years we’ve supported initiatives to protect sacred lands, helped strengthen their cooperative structures and community infrastructure, and invested in climate-friendly farming practices. Their newest projects, a youth gastronomy and eco-tourism program, is training young people in hospitality, ancestral cooking, and sustainable tourism, helping them build livelihoods while keeping cultural roots strong.

students in a class on hospitality

This Coffee's History

2018 - Ongoing
Casa de Memoria (CoSurCa)
  • Supporting creation of community-based museums to house and preserve indigenous cultural and traditional agricultural knowledge
  • Training for local youth in cultural preservation
  • Funding Commitment to date: $3,600
2020
Strengthening Community Nutrition & COVID-19 Prevention (CoSurCa)
  • 15 organizations (associate farms, schools, etc.) received a total of 86 community garden plots that benefitted 410 people. 
  • Technical agricultural training for women and young farmers on 1,500 farms. 
  • COVID-19 safety training, PPE and educational materials. 
  • Funding: $7,400 
2022 - ongoing
Strengthening Agricultural & Political Alliance (CoSurCa)
  • Increase farmer knowledge in environmentally-friendly farming practices to adapt to climate change. 
  • Inclusive and cooperative political and economic organization in the face of social conflict, illicit crops and armed actors. 
  • Funding commitment to date: $5,997  
2022
Youth Cinema Project (CoSurCa)

The Youth Cinema Project centers audiovisual training as a tool for storytelling, cultural preservation, and skill development. Youth participants learned multimedia production while interviewing community elders to document local history and lived experience.

Funding - $6,5000 

2023
Youth Multimedia Storytelling; Youth Run Cafe (CoSurCa)

This project expanded the earlier Youth Cinema Project. Participants teach new students through peer-to-peer learning and skill sharing. The program also launched a youth-run café, providing hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, business management, and food service, while creating opportunities for youth to earn income and build confidence. 

Funding - $5,000 

2024
Youth culinary and eco - tourism training (CoSurCa)

In partnership with local leaders and educators, the initiative engages youth and community members in hospitality-focused skill building, including cooking, mixology, and customer service. The work supports young people in building viable futures within their own communities while strengthening sustainable tourism in Cauca, Colombia. 

Funding - $10,000 

  1. 2018 - Ongoing
    Casa de Memoria (CoSurCa)
  2. 2020
    Strengthening Community Nutrition & COVID-19 Prevention (CoSurCa)
  3. 2022 - ongoing
    Strengthening Agricultural & Political Alliance (CoSurCa)
  4. 2022
    Youth Cinema Project (CoSurCa)
  5. 2023
    Youth Multimedia Storytelling; Youth Run Cafe (CoSurCa)
  6. 2024
    Youth culinary and eco - tourism training (CoSurCa)