COPROBICH

Location:

The Chimborazo province of Ecuador

Certification(s):

Fair Trade - FLO

Corporación de Productores y Comercializadores Orgánicos "Bio Taita Chimborazo" (COPROBICH)

Located between 3000 and 4000 metres above sea level, in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, COPROBICH is a cooperative comprised of 3500 small scale quinoa producers.

The poorest and most rural province of Ecuador, Chimborazo also has the region’s largest indigenous population - over 80% of the rural population are indigenous Puruhaes.

The population density of the region is very high, and given the low potential of the land, often very steep and eroded, economic alternatives for creating employment in the area are very limited. Quinoa is one of the only options because it is very well suited to the natural environment; it is resistant to drought and the harsh climate of the Andes. Furthermore, quinoa is the product of an ancient ancestral know-how.

The survival strategy of farming families in the past few decades has been to migrate temporarily to large cities to find work in the informal economy. The income generated from quinoa production means that people don’t have to leave their families in search of a better life. In the Chimborazo province, quinoa production is becoming a driving force in the fight against poverty. Having a set and guaranteed price has given COPROBICH producers financial stability that has enabled families to support themselves, and prevented rural exodus.

Starting from just 200 families in 1997, COPROBICH now has 3500 growers. In 2004 COPROBICH became certified Fair Trade with FLO. COPROBICH’s success and growth is the result of the Puruhaes people’s commitment to improving their living conditions and quality of life.

PDF:

COPROBICH - Quinoa Info Card.pdf

Crops:

Organic Quinoa

Our Growers Are Our Heroes

We got into this business because we wanted to help small scale organic farmers here at home gain access to the larger commercial marketplace, and to ensure their families and communities thrive. Over the past decade or so, we have endeavored to do this, step by step, with over ninety B.C. farms.

Our hearts still belong to the small scale growers. We have visited dozens of farms in B.C., working with growers to see them move to larger and more financially sustainable operations.

We feel encouraged by the impressive increase in consumer demand for organics and local. We also acknowledge that we might not be able to grow all our own food year round. Even more so now, as our climate changes, no harvest is a safe bet.

So over the years, we have extended our relationships with small scale farmers to include farms down the Pacific Coast, through Washington, Oregon and California, then on to Mexico and South America. Together, this network of growers keep us all fed year round. And for this we are grateful.