Producer/Curator:

Athos Scalco Caixeta

Coopama is a farmer-owned cooperative located in the Sul de Minas region of Brazil, established to build long-term sourcing relationships that pursue both consistency and discovery. Founded in 1944 and headquartered in Machado, Minas Gerais, the cooperative brings together 3,600 member farmers, 60% of whom are small-scale family producers. What sets Coopama apart from typical Brazilian volume suppliers is its commitment to full lot traceability. While it is standard practice for most cooperatives to blend lots after classification, Coopama manages every lot individually, tracking unique lot numbers and bag counts down to the SACA level. In terms of quality and innovation, Coopama has clearly prioritized specialty coffee in recent years. In addition to its reliable washed and natural Sul de Minas profiles, the cooperative has developed a dedicated fermentation program with 13 participating producers. These lots rival the clean cup and complexity of high-altitude washed coffees from Bahia or Espírito Santo. Coopama’s vertically integrated model covers collection, warehousing, logistics, processing, and grading, as well as technical assistance for cultivation and post-harvest, ensuring end-to-end accountability across the supply chain. This infrastructure enables the delivery of consistent quality at scale without sacrificing the traceability that specialty coffee buyers demand. Furthermore, the cooperative actively invests in its producing community through initiatives such as the “Café em Flores” women’s empowerment program, regional SDG partnerships focused on health, energy, recycling, and public safety, and ongoing technical guidance for member farms.