The Combrifol coop

The Cooperativa Mixta Regional Brisas de la Frontera Ltd. – Combrifol, in short – was established in the early 1990s in Southwest Honduras in the Departamento de La Paz. Combrifol has exported certified organic Arabica highland coffee cultivated at elevations of 1200 to 1900 metres for more than ten years. Its fruity aroma and lively taste set the coffee apart. Since 2023, Cafe Libertad has been importing Combrifol's organic coffee.

The co-op has about 300 members and extends its activities to the communities of Marcala, Santa Elena, Yarula, and La Nahuaterique. Most of Combrifol's farmers are part of the Lenca indigenous population group and live in extreme poverty in the La Nahuaterique area in the remote border region next to El Salvador.

Living in no man's land

Long-lasting border disputes between El Salvador and Honduras have profoundly affected the area. The La Nahuaterique community was established about a century ago in response to land scarcity in El Salvador. Wealthy landowners' control of the larger part of the land pushed small-scale farmers to relocate to the unexplored and undefined border region.

Migration and mutual claims for land possession resulted in conflicts between Honduras and El Salvador, culminating in military skirmishes in 1969. In the 1980s, the civil war in El Salvador shook the region. Finally, the International Court in The Hague recognised La Nahuaterique as Honduran national territory in 1992.

However, the government still largely neglects the region, and public infrastructure is nearly nonexistent. Comprehensive networks for potable water and electricity do not exist. Going to school or the doctor means a long journey, most often on foot, on the few dirt tracks that are not fit for traffic in winter and the rainy season.

Cooperative framework as a resource

Under these conditions, coop membership offers, on the one hand, better opportunities to process cultivated coffee and sell it at higher prices, improving livelihoods. It also provides access to additional resources that improve subsistence and living conditions.

For instance, the coop spends proceeds from coffee sales on infrastructure projects. Combrifol supports its members with training courses on the consequences of climate change and agricultural diversification.

Moreover, the coop provides a framework for women's self-organisation in their struggle against patriarchal violence and for women's rights. The co-op has established a strong women's group, along with specially targeted support programs for single mothers.