From FairtradeUSA.com
GRAPOS, or the Grupo de Asesores de Producción Orgánica y Sustentable, is a small coffee producer organization located near the town of Tapachula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The organization represents 2,600 small coffee farmers who work on an estimated 8,000 hectares of land. Most members come from the communities of Unión Juárez, Cacahoatan and Tapachula, all within Chiapas.
GRAPOS provides essential services to its members including access to finance, technical assistance and community development programs. According to the organization, Fair Trade has helped them become more organized. Some of the most recent examples include programs developed with support from Fair Trade Premiums –such as a women’s knitting program or mushroom cultivation project as additional sources of family income.
