Cooperacafe

What Cooperacafe does

Cooperativa de Caficultores del Catatumbo (Cooperacafe) is an agricultural cooperative headquartered in Ocaña, Norte de Santander, Colombia, founded on March 22, 1980 with institutional support from the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros. Structured as an Entidad Sin Ánimo de Lucro (ESAL), it represents 2,222 associated smallholder farmers out of approximately 16,000 coffee producers in the department, operating a network of 31 purchase agencies and 30 branches across the Catatumbo region.

The cooperative's core activities span commercialization of green coffee and cacao, distribution of agricultural inputs, microcredit issuance, life insurance brokerage, maquila (third-party coffee processing) services, and quality assessment through an in-house cup profiling laboratory. It also operates the Café Don Antón proprietary consumer brand, launched in 2013, which provides a downstream route-to-market beyond commodity green coffee exports. The organization has held ISO 9001:2015 certification since 2023.

Cooperacafe generates revenue through multiple streams: trading margins on green coffee and cacao sold through Federation channels and direct buyers, retail markups on Café Don Antón roasted coffee, margins on agricultural input sales across its 30-branch retail network, interest income from member microcredit, insurance commission fees, and fees from maquila processing. In December 2024, Cooperacafe entered a partnership with Mercy Corps to operationalize the ProTierra Catatumbo program, institutionalizing cacao commercialization alongside coffee. The cooperative employs 14 direct staff, indicating a lean operating model that depends heavily on its distributed branch and agency network rather than centralized headcount.

Name

Cooperacafe

Legal name

Cooperativa de Caficultores del Catatumbo

Website

https://cooperacafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cooperacafe is a Colombian ESAL cooperative serving 2,222 smallholder coffee and cacao farmers in the Catatumbo region through 31 purchase agencies and 30 branches, providing commercialization, agricultural inputs, microcredit, insurance, processing, and the Café Don Antón consumer brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coffee and Cacao Cooperative Services

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Consumer Lending (522291)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)

akta.pro primary industry

Member-Owned Food Cooperatives (CRAHALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee & Cacao Plantations (Coffee, Cocoa) (AFAGACAI), DTC Beverage Delivery (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic) (AFAIANAK)

Keywords

• Coffee commercialization
• Cacao commercialization
• Agricultural inputs supply
• Coffee processing services
• Farmer cooperative microcredit

Headquarters

HQ city

Ocaña

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Coffee and Cacao Commercialization: Purchase and sale of coffee (pergamino seco, pasilla) and cacao directly from farmers at guaranteed base prices without intermediaries, with transparent pricing and immediate payment
2. Agricultural Inputs Sales: Sale of fertilizers, agrochemicals, tools and machinery through 30 branches across Norte de Santander
3. Membership Fees and Social Contributions: Members contribute to cooperative capital through affiliation fees and social contributions, providing capital for operations
4. Microcredits: Low-interest credit lines to associated farmers including Crediaportes, Credifertilizantes, Crediconsumo and Credimujeres
5. Life Insurance Services: Free life insurance covering associated members, spouses and up to two children, providing death benefits and funeral assistance
6. Maquila Services: Coffee processing services including trilla, toasting, grinding and packaging for customers

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cooperacafe is a farmer-owned cooperative that purchases coffee (pergamino seco, pasilla) and cacao directly from 2,222 associated producers at guaranteed base prices with immediate payment, then resells, processes, and adds value through its torrefacción line (Café Don Antón). It also supplies agricultural inputs, extends microcredit, provides free life insurance to members, and offers toll processing (maquila) and cup-profiling laboratory services to regional producers.

Product overview

Cooperacafe is a cooperative of coffee and cocoa producers offering a multi-service platform. The core offering includes coffee and cocoa commercialization with purchase guarantees, agricultural inputs supply (fertilizers, tools, machinery, agrochemicals), microcredit services, life insurance, toll milling (maquila) for coffee processing, and cup quality profiling laboratory services. The cooperative also markets its own coffee brand, Café Don Antón, processed through its maquila service. The product portfolio includes branded fertilizers (Produkafe 23-4-20, Fertilizante Embajador, Urea), agricultural machinery (Fumigadora Royal Condor, Despulpadora Ideal Antioqueña, Secadora JM Estrada), and agrochemicals (Glifocafe, Mertec, Verdadero). Services are delivered through 30+ branch locations across Norte de Santander, Colombia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Café Don Antón: Coffee brand launched in 2013 as part of the cooperative's torrefacción (roasting) project, commercialized in the Province of Ocaña with clients in Cúcuta, Bogotá, and Bucaramanga.

Products and services

• Comercialización de café y cacao (Coffee and Cacao Commercialization) Core purchase-guarantee service that buys coffee (pergamino seco, pasilla) and cacao directly from associated producers at published base prices using calibrated certified scales and yield-factor quality analysis, with immediate payment via bank transfer, smart card, or check across 31 purchase agencies.
• Comercialización de insumos agrícolas (Agricultural Inputs Supply) Distribution of fertilizers, amendments, agrochemicals, tools and machinery for coffee, cacao and other regional crops through 30 branches distributed across all municipalities of Norte de Santander.
• Microcréditos (Microcredit Lines)

Quantifiable outcome

• 31 purchase agencies across Norte de Santander
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercy CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 December 2024Mercy Corps supports the ProTierra Catatumbo program which works to transform living conditions for 1,200 families through sustainable practices and technical education. Partnership includes establishment of coffee and cacao purchase agencies and technical assistance programs.
• Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de ColombiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner that supported the establishment of Cooperacafe in 1980. Provides ongoing support through extension services, Almacafé logistics and institutional backing.
• Agroinsumos del CaféminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAgricultural input supplier that participates in training sessions and educational events with farmers, presenting product portfolios and promoting products through Cooperacafe channels.
• Banco AgrariominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial institution partner participating in training sessions and educational events, providing information on financial services for farmers.
• SENAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVocational training institution providing apprenticeship opportunities and participating in events like III Semana del Café.
• Comité de Cafeteros de Norte de SantandercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional coffee committee that provides extension services and endorsed Cooperacafe's expansion across the department in 2006.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia: National coffee grower federation that supports all Colombian coffee cooperatives, including Cooperacafe itself. Directly comparable as the umbrella institution governing coffee commercialization, extension services, and Almacafé logistics that Cooperacafe relies on, and a potential competitor for farmer share of mind and pricing.
• Fairtrade International: Global certification and trading standards organization that works with coffee producer cooperatives. Comparable as a standards/buyer-side institution that competes with traditional cooperative commercialization channels and shapes access to premium markets.
• Nespresso (Nestlé): Global premium coffee buyer with the AAA Sustainable Quality Program that works directly with farmer cooperatives. Comparable as a major downstream buyer that competes for farmer relationships and shapes pricing dynamics in the Colombian coffee supply chain.
• Starbucks C.A.F.E. Practices: Starbucks' ethical-sourcing program engaging coffee cooperatives worldwide. Comparable as a global buyer offering preferential contracts, financing and technical assistance that competes with cooperatives like Cooperacafe for farmer supply.

Others

• Almacafé: Coffee logistics subsidiary of the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros that originally supplied Cooperacafe's start-up capital and provides warehousing/logistics services. Comparable as a federation-aligned logistics enabler in the same Colombian coffee value chain.
• Cenicafé: Colombia's national coffee research center that supplies technical knowledge and varietal research to cooperatives including Cooperacafe. Comparable as an enabling R&D and technical assistance partner in the Colombian coffee ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Procafecol (Juan Valdez): Colombian coffee cooperative-affiliated company that owns the Juan Valdez brand and global café chain. Comparable as a coffee-grower-aligned organization that has built a downstream consumer brand from cooperative-sourced beans, mirroring Café Don Antón's ambitions at far greater scale.
• Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Caldas: Regional coffee-grower cooperative in Caldas, Colombia. Comparable in cooperative structure, member services (commercialization, inputs, credit), and department-level operating model to Cooperacafe.
• Cooperativa de Cafeteros del Huila: Regional coffee-grower cooperative based in Huila, Colombia. Comparable as a member-owned cooperative providing coffee commercialization, input sales and complementary services to smallholder farmers within a single Colombian department.
• Cooperativa de Cafeteros de Antioquia: Regional coffee-grower cooperative in Antioquia, Colombia. Directly comparable as a fellow Cooperativa de Caficultores offering coffee commercialization, member services, and input distribution to smallholder coffee farmers in a defined Colombian department.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cooperacafe_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cooperacafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/cooperacafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooperacafe
• Instagraminstagram.com/cooperacafe/?hl=es

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooperacafe