Duver Paulini Suárez. APBOSMAM in Peru is a small producer organization that was born out of a need for change and to improve the quality of life of families. It is a model cooperative for joint efforts, for the quality of the product, and above all the quality of the personnel that are part of it. “My children were part of the soccer academy that APBOSMAM created and financed thanks to the Fairtrade Premium. At that time there was a great need for children to participate because the parents did not have the financial means to have them; then it was decided to form an academy for producers, cooperative workers, and the community.”Finca la Fronter banana farm in Colombia has been certified since 2007. Today, there are a total of 46 hectares, with around 40 in production. They also have a staff of 39 employees: 35 operational staff and four in administration. “It is an independent farm, a family estate. It started out as just three hectares. Its owners also started cutting and packing bananas… this farm is truly made of sweat.”Neptalí Zapata Prieto. ASPRAOSRA is one of the most well-respected co- operatives in the Alto Piura Valley of Peru, working hand in hand with the farmer, seeking innovative solutions and improving product quality, to enhance the production of its associates. “It has productive infrastructure and technological capabilities that allow us to manage and diversify the productive and commercial system sustainably, in harmony with the environment, having developed commercial capacity in the domestic and foreign markets, incorporating more and more added value to our products. Our banana is free of all insecticides, it is organic and keep buying. We are making the greatest effort so that it arrives of good quality.”“My name is Nercy Altagracia Amesquita, and I’m 47 years old. I live in Guayubincito in the Montecristi province of the Dominican Republic. I work at Paradise at banana packing. I’ve benefited greatly from the Fairtrade Premium. I’ve been able to resolve problems with my house. I’m currently building my house. I’ve built the foundations. I’ve also been able to obtain school supplies for my daughter, so she can keep going to school. I’m happy with the Premium, and I would like it to continue, so that I can make more progress in resolving things in my house.”Marcelino Blas. “Fairtrade gives us small farmers the opportunity to grow and develop. Thanks to the help of the agricultural engineers that the cooperative sends us for advice, I was able to improve the quality of my bananas and switch to organic farming. Today, we Banelino producers are known for our good fruit and that makes me proud. Through Fairtrade, we producers get more money for our bananas and can pay our workers better. In addition, there is a Premium that also benefits the community, because the money goes to health care and education or to sports clubs so that balls and other sports equipment can be purchased. In this way, Fairtrade helps everyone. My father didn’t have enough money to let me study before. But thanks to Fairtrade I can now afford to fulfil my old childhood dream and study law. If everything works out I will soon be a lawyer. But I will remain a banana producer and hope that I will always be able to sell to Fairtrade.”Rosminia Ruiz – COOBAFRIO in Colombia. “My house was very simple. It didn’t have a terrace and the windows were made out of small boards; the door was a sheet of zinc that my father had put together, with some nails and plastic, that served as hinges. The roof was like a sieve. I approached the cooperative. Although I am not a producer, I am connected, and the daughter of a producer. So I asked them to give me a little help, and I knew that with the Fairtrade resources, they could do it. They had a meeting to discuss and by November, they made all the arrangements. They made the house practically new. I can even have guests here. I like to see it settled, comfortable. I am happy! And how could I not be?”Fabio Rafael Pagero, Dominican Republic. “Because I sell with Fairtrade and Organic certifications, I have a good income with which I can feed my family well. I have health insurance that covers the whole family. I have a small house, a car to get from A to B – we live a comfortable life and I am very grateful for that. Fairtrade ensures that I can survive as a small farmer. Without it, we could not compete with the big plantations, because we are too small to export ourselves. This is only possible in the community of the Banelino cooperative. Many small ones together are one big one and strong enough to stand up to the plantations. I get almost twice as much for my bananas as in conventional trade. This also allows me to pay my workers better wages. The price is fixed and is not pushed down afterwards, so I can calculate well. That gives me security. If it were otherwise, we would not be able to survive.”
