There's a certain magic that you witness anytime you visit coffee origin. It deepens your appreciation and awe for the many, many hands that touch coffee before it ever gets brewed and enjoyed.
In September 2026, Fair Trade USA invited us to join them on a trip to Peru, to visit coffee cooperatives, meet with producers and farmers themselves, and learn firsthand about their work and communities. Included in that group were two cooperatives that Equator has been sourcing coffee from for many years: Sol y Café and La Prosperidad de Chirinos.
Both cooperatives sell us coffee on fair trade terms and have been beneficiaries of our seasonal blend program, which channels 5% proceeds from our quarterly seasonal releases directly back to the producers who grow them. Beyond the deep appreciation this trip stirred for everyone whose hands shape a cup of coffee, what we saw on the ground made clear just how much technical expertise and on-site innovation these cooperatives bring to their farmer communities — support that extends far beyond a purchase.
Pictured: A panoramic view from the slopes of La Prosperidad de Chirinos, San Ignacio Province, Peru.
Sol y Café: What Fair Trade Premiums Actually Build
Sol y Café started small: a handful of producers with big ambitions in 2008, working with just three lots of coffee. Equator and Sol y Café have worked together since 2018, when we began purchasing a top-tier coffee profile the cooperative calls Dios Te Dé. Separating out their best lots meant producers could earn better prices for better quality, creating a direct link between quality and reward that continues to motivate the cooperative to this day. Today Sol y Café represents more than a thousand partners, and its team welcomed us warmly, walking us through what nearly two decades of fair trade partnership has actually built on the ground. "Equator Coffees is more than just a roaster; they are an ally that has enabled and motivated us to continue with our social mission," says Javier Dominguez, Sol y Café's Commercial Manager.
The clearest example is the school: Sol Del Nor Oriente. Built in 2019 with fair trade premium funds and support from other roasters, it now serves 195 students from kindergarten through high school — open not just to children of cooperative members, but to the wider community. Students learn the full coffee supply chain hands-on: math practice by sorting beans, a biofarm and recycling program, plus music, dance, language, and computer classes rarely available in Peru's public schools. "We want our producers and the children of producers to feel committed to the sustainable development of agriculture," Javier told us. "We know that development starts in the countryside, at the farm level." This mission was clear, from the reading level appropriate libraries outside every classroom, to the learning garden alongside the cooperative’s impressive plant nursery.
Pictured: Institución Educativa Sol Del Nor Oriente, a free K-12 school for Sol y Café families in the San Ignacio Province of Peru.
“Many years ago, we saw development happening in the city, and that's why our children went to the city—to university, and pursued careers in finance, architecture, medicine, legal fields—but very little in agriculture, as it was seen as unprofitable,” Javier said. “But now times have changed. Properly managed agriculture is profitable. Through these educational projects, we are sure that the new leaders of sustainable agriculture will emerge here—the new managers of coffee, cocoa, rice, or different products that may exist—always focused on the cooperative method, community work, raising awareness of caring for the environment, and committing to sustainable development.”
Healthcare tells a similar story. Sol y Café runs a clinic offering free medical care for members, spouses, and children under 18, plus dental coverage extended to students in university. A private dentist visit in the region runs 500 - 800 soles; at the clinic, it's free. We met Leticia, the daughter of coffee producers from the cooperative, who went to dental school and returned to serve her own community — now caring for patients across 74 communities. She emphasized how dental health had previously been zero sum; if you had a sore tooth, the tooth got pulled. Now, patients are able to receive care that preserves and improves their quality of life. In the medical clinic, a new EKG machine, at a cost of $5,000 funded in part by fair trade premiums, has already helped save three lives.
Equator's partnership goes beyond purchasing. Through sales of our Super Bloom collection, we raised $4,728.19 to support a soil analysis lab that helps producers understand exactly what their plants need, applying fertilizer more precisely and improving both yield and cup quality. Our partners at Sustainable Harvest matched our donation, and Sol y Café is contributing its own funding too, extending the program's impact even further. "We always say that projects are like seeds, and these seeds need to grow and bear fruit in the long run," says Javier.
Pictured (from left): Javier Dominguez, Commercial Manager of Sol y Café, with Cinthya Castillo, Senior Manager, Producer Services (Peru) of Fair Trade USA
La Prosperidad de Chirinos: From Fair Trade Premiums to Regenerative Organic
La Prosperidad de Chirinos is one of our longest-standing partnerships — the cooperative has been growing coffee for more than 58 years, and today represents 874 producers, 244 of them women, 130 of them under 30 years old, farming over 2,200 hectares.
Fair trade premiums have funded real infrastructure here too: a main warehouse built in 2017 expanded from a 3,000–4,000 quintal (~300,000 kilo) capacity to 15,000 (1.5M kilos). The cooperative also runs an organic fertilizer operation producing 6,000 bags a year that are sold to cooperative members at 25% lower cost than market alternatives, and a nursery growing native shade trees for agroforestry projects on member farms. Their coffee line “Cosecha de Mujer” generates funds that support handicraft workshops, gardening, and a bakery and coffee shop in Jaén — all led by members of the cooperative. Equator has been a direct supporter of this bakery, part of our shared commitment to empowering women across the coffee industry.
What stood out most on this visit, though, was hearing directly from Chirinos leadership that it was Equator who first introduced them to the Regenerative Organic® Certification. The cooperative has since adopted regenerative organic practices across many of its member farms — and they credit the shift with a measurable, positive impact on their business, from soil health to the resilience of their harvests against a changing climate.
Pictured: Quality Coffee, Quality Life mural on-site at La Prosperidad de Chirinos, San Ignacio Province, Peru.
“We’ve also used the fair trade premium to reinvest in the quality of our producers’ plots, and it’s satisfying that we’ve achieved better productivity, better product quality for our members, and better incomes,” said Michael Montalván, General Manager of La Prosperidad de Chirinos. “It’s important when we already see the presence of climate change - these plots are more resilient. It’s very important to us to have more protection against these changes that occur in different seasons.”
It's these kinds of results that validate why we invest in these relationships beyond the transaction: a conversation with a trusted partner turned into a certification that's now reshaping how farms are managed. Producers have seen a 10% reduction in production costs since adopting these practices, and La Prosperidad de Chirinos became the first cooperative in Peru to become Regenerative Organic Certified®. "Our first container that we sold of ROC was exclusively with Equator, and this was a distinct moment between the before and after for our agricultural practices," recalled Michael.
Why This Matters for Every Cup
Sol y Café and La Prosperidad de Chirinos represent two different chapters of the same story: Fair Trade isn't just a certification: it represents an approach to long-term relationships that compound over years into schools, clinics, warehouses, and now, regenerative farming practices that will shape these farms for generations. When you choose a coffee from Equator, you're supporting the next chapter of those stories.
We're deeply grateful to the producers, technical leads, and cooperative staff at both organizations for their hospitality, candor, and the warmth with which they welcomed us. As Michael put it, "We hope this relationship will continue to strengthen every year, and thank you for valuing our coffees."
We're already looking forward to seeing what the next harvest brings.
