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In northern Peru, the Norandino cooperative was born from the desire of young people from peasant families in the Sierra de Piura to organize a fairer and more sustainable coffee sector. Today, Norandino is the leading coffee exporting cooperative in the country. The organization operates under democratic governance with a strong community foundation. Similarly, it has gradually diversified its sectors: coffee, cocoa, chocolate paste, and panela sugar, while ensuring the development of food crops intended for self-consumption and the local market. In twenty years, this movement has succeeded in bringing together 7,000 families and has contributed to profoundly transforming local living conditions.
Peru is a middle-income country that possesses significant natural resources, both in mining and food. Nearly a third of the population lives in Lima. Large inequalities are observed between urban areas and Andean or Amazonian regions, which have a majority of indigenous populations. The informal sector’s share of employment represents 73%. Finally, Peru is experiencing a political and institutional crisis that has lasted since 2017.
By relying on agroecology and fair trade, Norandino has enabled member producers to improve their incomes and regain a place in the regional economy. Thanks to its cooperative organization, Norandino thus allows producers to obtain better marketing conditions and to add value through local processing by offering products destined for organic and fair trade markets.
