Coffee and Community Leadership

Coffee producers at CECANOR in northern Peru belong to an organization that unites about 870 smallholder farmers across the Lambayeque, Cajamarca, and Amazonas regions. More than half of the members are women producing coffee for Café Femenino, a program that highlights the contribution of women to household economies and rural communities through coffee production and leadership. Because the organization has grown across multiple regions, keeping active participation and representation at the community, district, and regional levels remains a top priority for everyone involved. To strengthen this participation, CECANOR allocated $6,000 USD from their Community Development Funds. This investment supports the daily operation and coordination of zonal committees in the local towns where the organization works. Through these regional committees, all members receive important information about the cooperative. They discuss key issues and make choices alongside their democratically elected representatives. This initiative helps guarantee that producers from remote coffee growing areas can remain connected to the organization's governance and future direction. This strong focus on participation was evident in the recent election of Paula Chávez Gómez. A dedicated coffee producer from the highland district of Kañaris in Lambayeque, she recently became president of the CECANOR Board of Directors for the 2025 to 2027 term. Her important appointment represents the growing presence of women in cooperative leadership and vital decision making spaces. Under this structure, producers continue building strong commercial relationships in global markets. These include the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, England, France, and the Netherlands. At the same time, they reinforce a cooperative model where members actively shape the bright future of their own organization.