Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Santa Ana is a coffee cooperative in Perené, Junín that works with around 170 coffee farmers, nearly half women who are heads of their households and over half are over the age of 45.
Santa Ana’s team provides small coffee farmers with hands-on training to adopt sustainable practices on their farms. These practices not only improve soil health and protect local biodiversity but also enhance the quality of the coffee they grow. With this support, members of Santa Ana have increased their production capacity by nearly half and now earn on average 77% more than they would without cooperative membership.
One member, Cirila, a 59-year-old woman who has been working as a coffee producer for over 30 years, joined the cooperative four years ago. With personalized support to plant more resistant coffee trees, such as catimor, Gran Colombia, and Typica, she now grows better coffee yields and earns a higher income for her family.
In 2024, NESsT extended a revolving working credit line to Santa Ana over two years to pay its producers during the coffee campaigns.
During our due diligence, we identified the need for the cooperative to diversify its client portfolio, which was previously limited to the domestic market. In response, they developed and executed a commercial plan for 2025 that focused on building export capacity and expertise. As a result, they have successfully secured direct exports to three international clients this year. This milestone has not only increased visibility for their coffee's origin among international roasters but has also allowed them to partner with sustainability-focused buyers who offer better pricing. Combined with a 50% growth in sales driven by our financing for plant upgrades and working capital, the cooperative is now able to increase procurement from its smallholder producers and ensure long-term resilience.
“NESsT’s financing has been instrumental to our growth as an organization. With this support, we’ve strengthened key areas of our operations, expanded our international client base, and significantly boosted our growth and expansion while generating direct benefits for our coffee producers. We’ve also improved working conditions for our administrative team and increased our competitiveness in the challenging coffee market.”
The NESsT Lirio Fund provides debt capital to high-impact enterprises that are advancing job creation for individuals most in need and accelerating environmental conservation in the Andes and Amazon.