Cenfrocafé
Cenfrocafé is a Peruvian coffee cooperative founded in 1999 that aggregates 2,800+ smallholder farming families across Jaén, San Ignacio, and Bagua to export specialty green coffee beans and six branded retail products (Apu, Chasqui, Jaen Coffee, Amigo de la Tierra) with Organic and Fair Trade certifications to international and domestic specialty markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersJaén, Peru
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cenfrocafé does
Cenfrocafé (Central de Asociaciones de Productores Cafetaleros) is a Peruvian coffee cooperative founded on October 26, 1999, in the hamlet of Palla Peña, Tabaconas District, San Ignacio. It aggregates 2,800+ smallholder farming families organized into 124 base associations and 11 networks across the provinces of Jaén, San Ignacio, and Bagua. The cooperative's purpose is to consolidate production from dispersed smallholder farms, improve farmer incomes through collective bargaining, and access premium specialty coffee markets that individual farmers could not reach independently.
The cooperative operates two primary revenue streams: (1) export of green coffee beans (café oro exportable) directly to international specialty buyers, utilizing independent export capability achieved in 2007; and (2) branded retail coffee product sales through an online catalog and contact-based ordering, with six branded SKUs — Café Apu Gourmet, Café Apu Classic, Café Apu Espresso, Café Chasqui, Café Jaen Coffee, and Café Amigo de la Tierra. The product portfolio leverages traditional varieties (Caturra, Bourbon, Typica, Marcellesa, Parainema) grown at 1,200-1,700+ meters above sea level, with differentiated processing including cold fermentation below 15°C and shade drying over 25 days. All products carry Organic certification, and Fair Trade certification (Comercio Justo) was achieved in 2007 across the relevant product lines.
Cenfrocafé's customer base is split between international specialty coffee buyers (enterprise roasters seeking traceable, certified Peruvian coffee) and domestic Peruvian consumers purchasing through the cooperative's catalog. Five warehouses across San Ignacio and Bagua support post-harvest storage and processing. The cooperative partners with CEPICAFE as a strategic alliance and is supported by RPE (referenced in the website footer). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; sales are routed through a website contact form and direct catalog inquiry. No external parent company, institutional investors, or PE/VC backing is disclosed, consistent with the cooperative ownership model.
Cenfrocafé firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cenfrocafé
- Legal name
- CENFROCAFÉ
- Website
- https://cenfrocafe.com.pe
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cenfrocafé is a Peruvian coffee cooperative founded in 1999 that aggregates 2,800+ smallholder farming families across Jaén, San Ignacio, and Bagua to export specialty green coffee beans and six branded retail products (Apu, Chasqui, Jaen Coffee, Amigo de la Tierra) with Organic and Fair Trade certifications to international and domestic specialty markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cenfrocafé industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Coffee
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coffee & Cacao Plantations (Coffee, Cocoa) (AFAGACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)
Keywords
Where Cenfrocafé is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jaén
- HQ country
- Peru
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cenfrocafé business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Green Coffee Export: Export of green coffee beans (café oro exportable) to international markets. In 2006, Cenfrocafé exported 60 containers. From 2007 onward, began independent export operations with Fair Trade certification.
- Branded Coffee Product Sales: Sale of branded specialty coffee products including Café Apu Gourmet, Café Apu Classic, Café Apu Espresso, Café Chasqui, Café Jaen Coffee, and Café Amigo de la Tierra through their catalog to local and international customers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cenfrocafé product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cenfrocafé is a coffee cooperative that produces, processes, and markets specialty coffee from over 2,800 smallholder farming families in northern Peru. The cooperative sells both bulk green coffee (café oro exportable) to international enterprise buyers and a portfolio of six branded specialty retail products (Café Apu Gourmet, Café Apu Classic, Café Apu Espresso, Café Chasqui, Café Jaen Coffee, Café Amigo de la Tierra) through direct catalog sales to local and international customers. All products carry Organic and Fair Trade certifications and are sourced from traditional and introduced coffee varieties grown at high altitudes in Jaén, San Ignacio, and Bagua.
Product overview
Cenfrocafé is a coffee cooperative offering a portfolio of specialty coffee products across multiple tiers. The product line includes Café Apu Gourmet (premium), Café Apu Classic (mid-tier), Café Apu Espresso (espresso blend), Café Chasqui (high-altitude specialty), Café Jaen Coffee (regional origin), and Café Amigo de la Tierra (sustainable certification-focused). All products feature organic and Fair Trade certifications, are sourced from family farms in Jaén, San Ignacio, and Amazonas provinces, and are processed using traditional washing, fermentation, and shade-drying methods.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Café Apu Gourmet: Premium coffee made with organic and Fair Trade certified varieties Caturra, Typica and Bourbon from special microclimates of Jaén and San Ignacio, with fermentation at temperatures below 15°C and slow drying over 25 days.
- Café Apu Classic
- Café Apu Espresso
- Café Chasqui
- Café Jaen Coffee
- Café Amigo de la Tierra
Products and services
- Café Apu Gourmet Premium specialty coffee made from Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon varieties sourced from microclimates in Jaén and San Ignacio. Cold fermentation at temperatures below 15°C with slow shade drying over 25+ days. Organic and Fair Trade certified.
- Café Apu Classic Specialty coffee made from Caturra, Bourbon, and Typica varieties grown above 1,700 masl in Jaén and San Ignacio. Organic and Fair Trade certified.
- Café Apu Espresso Espresso blend from Caturra, Bourbon, and Marcellesa varieties sourced from microclimates in Jaén and San Ignacio. Features prolonged cold fermentation with limited oxygen. Organic and Fair Trade certified.
- Café Chasqui Specialty coffee from farms at 1,400+ masl featuring traditional varieties and introduced varieties Marcellesa and Parainema from Jaén, San Ignacio, and Amazonas. Cupping score of 82–83 points. Organic and Fair Trade certified.
- Café Jaen Coffee Traditional variety coffee grown above 1,200 masl in Jaén, San Ignacio, and Amazonas provinces with chocolate flavor profiles. Organic and Fair Trade certified.
- Café Amigo de la Tierra
Quantifiable outcome
- Cupping scores of 80-86 points across product lines
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cenfrocafé
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Cenfrocafé technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cenfrocafé partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CEPICAFEcoreCEPICAFE is a key partner organization that initiated relationship with Cenfrocafé in 2001. In 2006, Cenfrocafé exported 60 containers through CEPICAFE before achieving independent export capabilities in 2007.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cenfrocafé competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU): Ethiopian union of primary coffee cooperatives exporting traceable, washed Yirgacheffe specialty coffee. Same farmer-owned cooperative export structure and organic/Fair Trade positioning as Cenfrocafé, though in a different origin.
- SOPPEXCCA: Nicaraguan coffee cooperative exporting certified specialty and Fair Trade coffee from smallholder farmers. Same smallholder cooperative export model, similar product mix (washed Arabica, organic), and shared international specialty buyers.
- Coop Coffees: North American importing cooperative sourcing 100% specialty grade, Fair Trade and organic green coffee from producer cooperatives globally. Closely analogous operating model (cooperative-to-cooperative supply chain) and a likely existing buyer partner for Cenfrocafé.
- Cooperativa La Meseta: Colombian specialty coffee cooperative exporting high-altitude, traceable coffees to international markets. Comparable farmer-owned cooperative structure and specialty grade positioning to Cenfrocafé, with overlap in roaster customers and certification programs.
- Cooperativa Agraria Sol y Café: Peruvian specialty coffee cooperative exporting Organic and Fair Trade green coffee to international roasters. Highly comparable in size, geography, certification profile, and cooperative structure to Cenfrocafé, making it the closest head-to-head peer.
- Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa: Peruvian coffee cooperative in Junín producing Organic, Fair Trade and rainforest-allied coffees for export. Same farmer-owned cooperative model, similar scale of producer membership, and overlapping international buyer base with Cenfrocafé.
- Asociación Nacional de Productores Agroecológicos Indígena (ANEI): Colombian smallholder coffee cooperative producing Organic and Fair Trade coffees with a strong origin and community narrative. Same producer-cooperative export model and comparable go-to-market focus on traceable, certified specialty coffee.
Broad incumbents
- Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC): Colombia's national coffee federation, the world's largest coffee producer organization. Far larger scale and broader portfolio than Cenfrocafé, but operates a similar farmer-cooperative export model with strong international brand (Juan Valdez), setting the competitive ceiling.
- Sucafina Specialty: Global green coffee trader and importer with a specialty division that sources from cooperatives like Cenfrocafé. Overlapping buyer side of the specialty green coffee value chain; not a cooperative but a comparable channel partner and competitive counterparty.
- Volcafe Specialty Coffee: Global coffee trading and processing platform with a dedicated specialty origin sourcing arm operating across Latin America. Comparable buyer and channel peer for Cenfrocafé's green and roasted specialty output.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cenfrocafé social profiles
Digital presenceCenfrocafé compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Cenfrocafé financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cenfrocafé leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cenfrocafé funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cenfrocafé M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cenfrocafé
What does Cenfrocafé do?
Cenfrocafé is a coffee cooperative that produces, processes, and markets specialty coffee from over 2,800 smallholder farming families in northern Peru. The cooperative sells both bulk green coffee (café oro exportable) to international enterprise buyers and a portfolio of six branded specialty retail products (Café Apu Gourmet, Café Apu Classic, Café Apu Espresso, Café Chasqui, Café Jaen Coffee, Café Amigo de la Tierra) through direct catalog sales to local and international customers. All products carry Organic and Fair Trade certifications and are sourced from traditional and introduced coffee varieties grown at high altitudes in Jaén, San Ignacio, and Bagua.
Is Cenfrocafé a public or private company?
Cenfrocafé is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Cenfrocafé founded?
Cenfrocafé was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cenfrocafé based?
Cenfrocafé is headquartered in Jaén, Peru, in the Latin America region.
How does Cenfrocafé make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Green Coffee Export is the primary driver. The others are branded Coffee Product Sales.
Who are Cenfrocafé's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU), SOPPEXCCA, Coop Coffees, Cooperativa La Meseta, Cooperativa Agraria Sol y Café, Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa and Asociación Nacional de Productores Agroecológicos Indígena (ANEI). Broad incumbents are Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC), Sucafina Specialty and Volcafe Specialty Coffee.
Does Cenfrocafé have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cenfrocafé.
What industry is Cenfrocafé in?
Cenfrocafé's product category is Specialty Coffee. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAGACAI, Coffee & Cacao Plantations (Coffee, Cocoa), with a secondary code of AFAIAKAD, Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.