miércoles, 13 de enero de 2010

ACOPRA

HOW WE BORNED:

Our cooperative was founded on March 6th 1980, under the historic event of the Salvadorian agrarian reform. ACOPRA Las Lajas began operations with 191 members, mostly farm laborers and settlers that were already working and living on the former Hacienda Las Lajas owned by Blanca Langenger.

The current income is generated by three activities:

* Production, processing and trading of organic coffee certified by OCIA INTERNATIONAL and RainForest Alliance.

* Livestock and dairy farming.

* Agro-eco-touristic services.

For this purpose we have 400 permanent employees and 2,000 extra at the coffee collection season. The agricultural system developed by ACOPRA LAS LAJAS is based in a dedicated use of the natural resources (soil, water and air), flora and fauna; making sure that the relationship between these elements is balanced and harmonized. We encourage a biological diversity that guarantees the environment equilibrium.


WHO WE ARE:

We are an auto-supportable cooperative; our interest is the human development of our members improving significantly the life standards at Canton Las Lajas.

In the process, we have learned that this can only be achieved thought the harmonization of the production and the environment.



MISSION

We are a Farming Cooperative Association; our interest is to improve the human development of our members and their families, significantly improving the living standards. This can only be achieved through a stable production, trading and agro-eco-touristic services that harmonize with the society and the environment.


VISION

Transform ourselves as a benchmark Association in organic coffee production, dairy products and agro-eco-touristic services that should generate social, economic and environmental benefits for our internal and external customers.


OUR COFFEE:

The volcanic soils and the altitude ranging from 900 and 1300 meters above sea level gives a good balance and good consistency to the drink (coffee), plus we provide a product purely organic due to the specialty crop that we give to the whole process of seed selection, planting, fertilizing, harvesting and processing is pulped and dried under the harmony and balance with the environment, without using chemicals in any way in the process before mentioned, all to get a grain of coffee of high quality and that it is friendly to the environment and society.

All coffee which is produced by ACOPRA LAS LAJAS RL is certified by agencies: OCIA International and the RainForest Alliance.

ACOPRA LAS LAJAS RL provides its clients with coffee seed in golden grain, this means pulping, drying and finally fully classified grain by grain, to deliver a high quality coffee product.

We give our clients the option that the processes of roasted and packaged can be done at their convenience.Featurings:

Cultivation, processing and marketing of organic and sustainable coffee with the labels of OCIA INTERNATIONAL (in the case of organic coffee) and the RainForest Alliance (in the case of sustainable).

a) We have 1596.8 acres of organic and sustainable coffee from which 747.36 acres are producing.
b) We grow the coffee varieties: Bourbon and Pacas 103.8 acres and 69.2 acres respectively.
c) The average production of the coffee areas that are producing are approximately 27 quintals.
d) The shade cover is varied but dominated by the Ingas.



OTHER PRODUCTIONS:

Our Cooperative Association has coffee as the main production, but we also produce milk for the domestic market, as well as fruits and vegetables for local consumption.

The dairy cattle fodder is prepared with organic inputs, so the milk we produce is high quality and wholesomeness.

One of the fruit productions we have are oranges, mangos, bananas and others. And the variety of vegetables we grow we have güisquil, carrots, cabbage, between the principals. We also grow cereals such as maize.While most of our production of fruits, vegetables and cereals are for local consumption, these become as a substantial help to the economy of the partners, as well as being healthy organic products are more accessible to local people.



CERTIFICATIONS:

ACOPRA LAS LAJAS RL is a Cooperative Association certified by : OCIA International and the RainForest Alliance, both certifications are evaluated constantly, so we guarantee all our products are completely organic and sustainable, generating income for their employees dramatically improving living standars of people and also that our productions, with special emphasis on green coffee bean (Golden bean) , which are friendly to the environment.

The whole process starting from the birth of the coffee plant and its maintenance throughout their productivity grain, the plant is carefully protected under the standars of organic practices and sustainability. Coffee forests allow water to be used in a responsibly way for the agricultural maintenance of the farm as well as the vital use of drinking water for residents of the area.

Soil protection is integral to the maintenance of the ecosystem, so the techniques of coffee cultivation in the coffee forest of Las Lajas are made to prevent erosion. Also beside the coffee forests, we grow other species of various kinds, to create shade for protection from wind, in general to promote biodiversity.

We safeguard the streams with buffer zones and protect wetlands.
We also strictly protect areas of primary forest.
We also make efficient use of solid waste, considering that our main waste is the coffee pulp, we use it in different ways, such as fertilizer and compost, fodder, among others. Similarly we make use of all agricultural residues generally used for fertilization.

ACOPRA LAS LAJAS RL not only is a friend of environment, but also generates human development, significantly improving the living standards of local people.

The main objective of this cooperative is the social environment.
Therefore:
1- The partners have decent housing.
2- The cooperative has donated the land to the local school in clear support for the education of residents.
3- The cooperative manages the football field to promote healthy recreation and sport.
4- Throughout our whole existence ACOPRA LAS LAJAS RL, has always encouraged local values, promoting quality of life in every sense, in health, in education, in work and leisure.


PROJECTIONS :

-Projection -Increase tourism staff adapting them to the hull of the Treasury to specialized customer service and accommodation. Also adapt the observation tours of agricultural activity to forms of alternative tourism.

-Develop of our trade mark of toasted and ground coffee.

-Convert the benefit of coffee and look to add value to coffee through the manufacturing process thereof. -Processing part of the milk production with the aim of gradually be a leader in the market with other dairy products.

-We hope both our production of golden coffee grains, milk and tourism to be developed more in the processes of sustainability

TOURISM:

Tourism development in Las Lajas is an unavoidable step and appropriate for the cooperative, Tourism development has variables in favour such as: We have a good geographical position in the Salvadoran tourism market. The land of the cooperative include the slopes of the volcano of Izalco, Cerro Verde, Santa Ana, and also out to Lake Coatepeque. The saturation of tourism in the municipalities of Juayua and Apaneca or in places like El Cerro Verde, push tourists to explore new alternatives, finding Las Lajas on the road.

CONTACT US:


Cooperativa Las Lajas is located in Canton Las Lajas municipality of Izalco in north-eastern department of Sonsonate.
Tel: (503) 2483-4362 or (503) 2483-4393
acopralaslajasderl@yahoo.com


2 comentarios:

  1. Hola, alguien sabe la direccion electronica correcta de Acopra? la que esta aqui no funciona...

    ResponderEliminar
  2. Hola, alguien sabe la direccion electronica correcta de Acopra? la que esta aqui no funciona...

    ResponderEliminar