La Victoria Cooperative

La Victoria Cooperative is a community-based coffee cooperative located in the San Martín region of northern Peru. Rather than operating as a single coffee estate, the cooperative represents a network of smallholder farming families who work together to produce and market high-quality specialty coffee while strengthening the economic future of their community. The group takes its name from the village of La Victoria, a small farming community in the countryside near Moyobamba, and is formally organized as the Asociación de Productores Cerro Blanco, or APROCEB, named for the striking white-sand mountain that rises above the surrounding farmland.

The cooperative was established in 2020 to give local producers greater access to specialty coffee markets, allowing members to collectively improve quality, negotiate fair prices, and invest in sustainable farming practices. What began as a small group of growers in La Victoria has since grown to include more than two hundred farming families spread across roughly fifteen neighboring communities. By working together, growers are able to share technical knowledge, improve post-harvest processing, and build long-term relationships with international coffee buyers.

Member farms are scattered throughout the mountainous landscape surrounding La Victoria, where coffee is cultivated at high elevations, generally between about 1,200 and 1,900 meters above sea level, under the shade of native trees. Plantings center on traditional varieties such as Typica and Caturra, alongside Bourbon, Catuaí, and Catimor. Most producers manage only a few hectares of land, carefully hand-harvesting ripe cherries and relying on generations of family farming experience to produce coffees that reflect the unique character of northern Peru. Depending on the lot, members prepare both fully washed coffees, fermented and rinsed with clean water before drying in the sun, and naturally processed coffees dried slowly in the whole cherry.

Environmental stewardship is a central focus of the cooperative. Many member farms practice organic agriculture and emphasize soil conservation, biodiversity, and responsible land management, and the association’s coffees carry both organic and Fairtrade certification. These efforts help preserve the region’s natural resources while supporting the long-term health and productivity of their coffee farms.

Today, La Victoria Cooperative serves as both an agricultural organization and a community partnership, connecting these independent farming families through a shared commitment to quality, sustainability, and opportunity. By combining traditional farming practices with collaborative innovation, the cooperative continues to elevate the reputation of San Martín as an emerging origin for exceptional Peruvian specialty coffee.