In 1965, a group of 100 small-scale coffee farmers from the Chanchamayo region came together to establish the La Florida Cooperative. Today, the coop has grown to over two thousand farmers who work together to improve the quality of coffee La Florida produces. The revenue from their Fair Trade sales has brought education, infrastructure, credit, and environmental consciousness to this rural area. The coop has established The Occupational Learning Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which offers training in environmentally-friendly farming techniques, as well as providing healthcare services in rural areas, technical assistance in crop diversification to create additional income, maintenance of five roads, portable water systems, schools, a bridge, a health clinic, and they have purchased machinery and land to assist with coffee production. In 2005, La Florida won 6th place in Peru’s National Quality Competition.
