The Asociación de Mujeres Productoras de Café La Labor (AMPROCAL) was founded in 2007 by 10 women and is the only association in the region with 100% female producers. AMPROCOL now has over 300 producers and seeks to highlight the efforts of female coffee growers and support them as they produce high-quality, organic specialty coffees. Producers are constantly learning new techniques and processes and share their knowledge with each other. AMPROCOL has a department that provides technical assistance and agronomic advice to farmers, helping to improve productivity and sustainability, which also increases farmer income. On the farms, coffee is selectively handpicked and pulped the same day. Coffee is then fermented for 12 to 18 hours and washed in clean water. Parchment is laid to sun dry for 4 to 7 days.
 
Impact:
 
Living Income Pricing
 
80% of the world’s coffee farmers live below the poverty line and current prices paid to farmers do not meet farmers’ livelihood needs. This coffee was purchased using Bellwether’s Living Income Pricing benchmark which ensures that coffee producers were paid a fair, sustainable wage. By purchasing this coffee you’re helping interrupt poverty among coffee farmers by paying a price that closes the living income gap. 
 
Farmer Impact Fund
 
Bellwether’s Farmer Impact Fund further invests in coffee communities through direct balloon payments to producers who have autonomy to use the money on community and farm-level projects. By adding a small surcharge to your green coffee purchase, these funds are directly distributed to farmers, providing a direct connection between you and your customers to the lives of producers for the first time in the coffee industry.