Fair Trade Certified Peruvian Coffee Wins People’s Choice Award

TransFair USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, congratulates the Fair Trade Certified™ CECOVASA Coffee Cooperative of Peru for winning top honors in the 2010 Roasters Guild Coffees of the Year Competition at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s (SCAA) 22nd Annual Exposition & Symposium, April 16 – 18, 2010 in Anaheim, Calif.

CECOVASA’s coffee was awarded best Peruvian coffee of the year, and was then selected for the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award was determined after the SCAA Exposition coffee industry attendees tasted and voted upon the nine origin winners.

The winning coffee was produced by CECOVASA cooperative member Wilson Sucaticona of Tunki, Peru under Fair Trade standards, which require farmers to meet strict social, economic and environmental guidelines, set by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO). In return, these small-scale farmers receive fair prices, community development funds, access to credit and more direct access to international coffee-trading markets.

“We are so proud that the coffee selected for the People’s Choice Award came from a Fair Trade Certified cooperative,” said Paul Rice, President and CEO of TransFair USA. “The odds have been stacked against these small-scale family farmers for many years; yet this is an example of how Fair Trade empowers farmers to take control of their production as they invest in quality improvement. They have worked extremely hard and could not be more deserving of this recognition.”

CECOVASA was founded in 1970, when a group of indigenous coffee farmers in the Lake Titicaca region of Peru came together to find a better way to sell their coffee. Until then, these farmers sold their beans to intermediaries, who typically paid less than half the market price. Today, the cooperative is so strong that the intermediaries no longer work in the area.

“Winning the People’s Choice Award at SCAA is, to us, the most important award in the world. It represents many years of hard work and a focus on improving the quality of our coffee so that it is competitive. It is an example of the great strides that can be made with the financial support and market connections that Fair Trade fosters,” said Miguel Paz, Commercial Manager at CECOVASA. “We are so grateful for the support and encouragement from TransFair USA, and we are proud to accept this award as a symbol of what all Fair Trade cooperatives have the potential to achieve.” (Drinks Media Wire)