PORTFOLIO BY SECTOR

Orgánico SR Los Nacientes, S.A. 

Orgánico Los Nacientes’s coffee can be purchased through Tesoros del Sol: www.tesdelsol.com

Incorporated in 2003, Los Nacientes grows certified organic arabica coffee and other farm products for sale locally and abroad.  The company's mission is to preserve the environment and improve the quality of life for consumers and small farming communities in Costa Rica . 

Los Nacientes evolved from a producer association of 25 small farms in the San Ramon area that now supplies product to the company.  The association comprises 150 hectares of land located near the Los Angeles Cloud Forest Reserve, home to over 210 bird species including cardinals and quetzals.  To help protect this habitat, the farmers have designated an additional 120 hectares of cloud forest for conservation.

The production of organic coffee, as opposed to regular coffee, has increased significantly in Costa Rica in recent years.  For the 2005 harvest season, Los Nacientes expects to sell product domestically to Café Britt, a leading export coffee company in Costa Rica .  The company also plans to sell packaged coffee in the local market under two registered trademarks: Orgánico Los Nacientes and Orgánico Pura Vida. 

Los Nacientes is accredited as a coffee producer, processor, roaster, and exporter by the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica , an organization dedicated to protecting the interests of the country's coffee-producing sector and ensuring fair treatment of workers.  The company's products are certified as organic by Organic Crop Improvement Association International in the U.S. and Asociación Instituto Mesoamericano para la Certificación de Productos Orgánicos y Procesados in Costa Rica.

Currently the company also sells its organic fertilizers, fruits, herbs, and vegetables locally and plans to export to the U.S. in the near future.  To diversify its product line, Los Nacientes is helping women in the farming communities prepare processed fruit jelly, vegetable sauces, herbal teas, and personal care items made with natural herbs for sale to local hotels.

EcoEnterprises Fund co-financed this loan with the project principal.  This is another example of the Fund providing harvest financing to support small producers of organically certified coffee.

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