AMACA (Asociación de Mujeres Productoras Agropecuarias del Cauca) is a group of women producers located in El Tambo, Cauca, Colombia that was formed in 1999 by 80 women from El Tambo, in Colombia’s Cauca department. Now AMACA is 140 smallholder members strong, all women farm owners and heads of household—and their coffees are fantastic. All of the members derive their livelihood and the livelihoods of their families from the cultivation and production of coffee. In 2008, AMACA partnered with the Ministry of Agriculture, the governor of Cauca, and the municipality of El Tambo to increase the production and quality of coffee on 80 members’ farms. In 2010, the organization “Social Action” supplied 22 farms with new wet mills and processing tanks. Today, 140 active members from three different villages across the El Tambo municipality make up AMACA. The average farm size is 1 hectare (5,000 trees) per member, some members have 3+ hectares and many members have less than one.
In terms of harvesting and process, most all members harvest only fully ripe cherries, depulping on the same day as harvest, processing on their own farms, and drying on raised beds inside parabolic dryers.
As this is one of our Program Coffees, a premium is paid to AMACA above the value of the coffee itself to support their goals and aspirations as a group. Their mantra is simple: to improve the quality of life for their members and their members’ families. Currently, one of their most pressing needs is a warehouse space to properly receive, cup, manage, and store their coffees. We believe these premiums can help them to accomplish these goals and in turn, support this passionate and strong-willed group of women in their love for and livelihood of quality coffee.
For more information on Colombian coffee, visit our Colombia Origin Page.
