PARTNER PROFILE

OrganisationDue to poverty, diseases and violence many farmers were forced to leave the mountain region of Ayacucho and migrated to the Apurimac Valley in search of a better life. The remote location of the valley restricted the agriculture practices to self-catering and stimulated a rapid develop-ment of coca plantations.

To this day the VRAE is the biggest producer of coca leaves. The only alternative is coffee and cocoa. There are still some pockets of violence but luckily people are more involved in farming and are better organised through the coops. Since the road to Ayacucho was re-built by the end of 2014 the valley can be reached within 5 hours, saving time and money.

As many other cooperatives, El Quinacho is struggling to finance the crops. They are highly dependent on good prices and Fairtrade premiums.

Product• Cocoa beans• Cocoa butter, cocoa mass and cocoa powder• Chocolate coatings• Chocolate bars

Organic cocoa from Peru

Cooperative Agraria Cafetalera „El Quinacho“ Ltda

CertificatesBioSuisse, EU 834/2007, NOP (USA), FLO Fairtrade, Utz

PRONATEC AGStegackerstrasse 6

CH-8409 WinterthurSWITZERLAND

Phone +41 (0)52 234 09 09 Fax +41 (0)52 234 09 19

info@pronatec.comwww.pronatec.com

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FarmingOrganic farming in these humid regions isn’t easy and re-quires a lot of know-how and intense labour. The yield per ha is small and farmers are exposed to price volatility. To ensure a high quality, fresh beans are collected and carefully fermented and dried at one of the five centres. Technicians from El Quinacho help the producers to to improve yields and quality.

Our commitmentPRONATEC and El Quinacho have held a long-term commitment since 2004. Our contribution is to strengthen the local organisation, amplify the infrastructure for post harvest and commerce, extend the organic certifications, renew plantations, train farmers and consolidate the export chain.

Goals• Quality assurance• Microfinance to members• Commercialisation of single origin cocoa• Access to 3rd party financing• Guaranteed purchase• Construction of fermentation boxes and drying ‘tents’• Tree nurseries aiming at better yielding material

In the last years the Fair Trade premium has been invested in the following community projects:

y Farmers education y Drying facilities y Social projects (local schools)

FactsheetRegion Sivia, Huanta, Dept. of AyacuchoMembers approx. 560 associatesFounded 1970Farm size on average 3-10 haProduction around 400 - 700 kgs/haVariaties Local breeds, high yielding Trinitario,

CCN51Climate Tropical humid, average 2500 mm rainfallMain crop April - JulyFly crop October to DecemberQuality Humidity 7.5%, 90 beans/100 grams

max. 6% slaty, max 20% violets, max. 6%defects (mouldy, insect damaged, etc)

Taste profile Medium to high acidity, medium cocoa fla-vor, medium bitterness, some fruity flavors