Helping to preserve family livelihood in Costa Rica

We like to work with both people and the planet in mind at Ritual Coffee, and our Costa Rican single origin is an example of just that. Grown and harvested on a community lot in San Juanillo, the beans are grown by farmers who are part of the co-operative, Coopronaranjo. Set-up in 1968 as a response the sluggish economy at the time, the first members sought to resolve issues in the agricultural sector, helping to preserve family livelihood in the region.

Now, Coopronaranjo has become a centre of economic growth. Its commitment to the quality of coffee, along with environmental and social considerations has earnt it numerous certifications and acknowledgements. The core of the group’s activities is the wellbeing of the small coffee farmer, their family and the wider community. In fact, it runs several social welfare programs in health, education and economic wellbeing in the community, and carries out an annual program of conservation and occupational health.

A main focus for the co-operative has been to position itself in new, specialty markets, which pay prices invariably higher than Fair Trade. The higher prices gained from selling on the speciality market (including us), directly benefits approximately 272 family members, plus all those in the community who indirectly benefit from the increased profit by the producer.

Read more about our Costa Rican Lomas Mesas here.