A key tenant to organic production is the use of no pesticides. This means when pests are present, the cooperative has to adapt in other ways. Agronomist, Alejandro Gutierrez, explained to us the long process of grafting trees used by La Union to combat a root eating pest throughout members' fields. Learn more from Alejando about his role for the cooperative and organic principles.

The coffee you drink comes from a cherry-like fruit with the "bean" on the inside. In order to process the coffee into what use to brew, the fruit has to be removed. In many places it is discarded into water systems and pollutes the environment. At La Union, they have recycled the lifecycle of the fruit waste. For over a decade now, they have included it in the organic compost for the their land.

There are hundreds of people involved at each stage of the production from seed to cup. Simply at origin, there are people like Señora Panchita, Rene, Juan de Dios, Señora Selsa del Carmen, Jacobo, Araceli, Señor Lupe, Señor Hugo, Jose Inocencio, and many other producers who tend to the young plants as they grow and harvest the first beans. It was an honor to see that first hand.