AGRO-ECOTOURISM

Coocafe

Coocafé is a consortium of Coffee Cooperatives of Guanacaste and Montes de Oro, located in the province of Alajuela. It was created in 1988 when six remote coffee co-ops came to the decision of working together to tackle their collective struggles as small scale coffee producers/farmers. As such, they went ahead and launched a joint economic diversification program. Their goal was to improve the management of their production to both raise and stabilize their income. In 1991, Equal Exchange (a fair trade organization that helps coffee producers in the developing world) met with Coocafé and helped them explore the advantages and possibilities of fair trade. It was a valuable association and since then, the involvement of the Coocafe in fair trade has brought great success. They have not only been able to attain higher incomes but have been able to provide much needed services for their members.
As a result, Coocafé has been able to expand to new crops and other business activities (like this Coocafé tour) as well as becoming flourishing exporters. Additionally, Coocafé can now count on fair trade organizations like Equal Exchange to purchase over four million pounds of coffee annually at guaranteed prices. The coffee beans Coocafé produces are the perfect example of the highest quality of Costa Rican coffee, characterized by its balanced acidity.
During this special Coocafé tour, you will be given a lecture in regards to the environmental impact and the commercialization of coffee in Costa Rica. Afterwards you will get to enjoy the delicious coffee that has made Coocafé so famous.