GRAPOS

Grupo de Asesores de Producción Orgánica y Sustentable S.C. (GRAPOS) is a group of coffee producers in the state of Chiapas, in southern Mexico, in an area that borders the Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. It was formed by 90 farmer members in 2007, but by 2016 it had grown to 3,253 memers, representing a range of land that includes Soconusco, Siltepec, Provenir, and Tapachula.

As the cooperative has grown, so has the percentage of active women farmer members, many of whom have inherited land or own their own farms. The women members’ coffees are kept separate and they are paid a price premium for their Women Coffee Producers lots; they have invested the premium in diversifying their crops—planting things like corn, bananas, squash, beans, and cacao—and have also focused on textile production in order to earn more money and have year-round income stability.

The women of GRAPOS farm on an average of 3–7 hectares of land, and they grow several different varieties of coffee including Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo.