COCABO (Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Cacao Bocatereña)

COCABO (Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de Cacao Bocatereña) is a co-operative of cocoa producers located in the eastern district of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Founded in 1952, COCABO was the first agricultural co-operative established in Panama. This organization was created to address problems with intermediaries in the supply chain, as well as to facilitate access to better prices for growers.  Today it is the only Fair Trade producer co-op in Panama.

The co-operative was originally formed by twenty associates (19 men and 1 woman). It now includes 527 members, of whom 299 are men and 228 are women. The majority of members are indigenous men and women, primarily the Naso and Ngöbe peoples, who market and sell their goods through the co-operative. In addition to cocoa, the co-op also sells pineapple and banana crops, and owns and operates five hardware stores and a small sawmill. It therefore plays a role in the socio-economic development of its members and their communities.

The region is characterized by savanna, a good climate, and ideal soils for growing cacao, bananas and other fruit. The cacao is growing typically grown under forest covers which contribute to the sustainability of agriculture in the region.

Most of COCABO’s producers cultivate organic cocoa. The co-op’s members produce 600 cubic tonnes of cocoa per year, of which 400 tonnes are certified organic. COCABO provides technical assistance to its members with regards to achieving organic standards or the organic system and consequently certified their organics farms. Therefore get better prices in this new market.

For the members, working in an organic production system provides fresh organic food for their families and variety of: environmental, social, and cultural benefits. The practice of ecological agriculture in the tropical forests considerably helps to mitigate deforestation and erosion in the region, and the organic production system provides fresh organic food for the families.

Photo by: Shannon Sutton

COCABO joined the Fair Trade system on July 11, 2006. Being part of the Fair Trade system has allowed the co-operative to experience the commercial advantages that this alternative system offers, while facilitating sustainable livelihoods for producers. 

Fair Trade’s Impact

Since joining the Fair Trade system, COCABO has implemented many projects in local communities. The co-operative also supports its members through agricultural technical assistance in order to improve the production yield and quality of their cacao. The organization has diversified its business through sales of bananas and pineapples.

Photo by: Shannon Sutton

Other Fair Trade Benefits  

Hardware store: the organization owners 5 hardware stores and runs an operation of saw mills in the region, helping the members to purchase the tools required for agricultural labour at a low cost.  

Ecotourism Projects:  COCABO supports a program promoting ecotourism and preserving the ecology in the region of Almirante and the outskirts of the Amistad Forest Reserve, where some of its members are located.

External Sources

http://www.cocabo.org
http://www.equalexchange.coop/profile-of-cocabo-in-panama