APROSAROCH
Kelly Storie of La Siembra visits with Eugenia Matencio and Felicita Ruiz of APROSAROCH
Co-op Name: APROSAROCH
Location: Peru
Number of Producers: 204
Average Farm Size: 3 hectares
Total Area Under Organic Production: 738 hectares
Founded: 2002
Source For: Chocolate chips
Interesting Fact: This co-operative services three different geographic zones: Mazamari, Llaylla, and Satipo.
Full Profile: The Producer Association of Santa Rosa de Chiriari (APROSAROCH) was founded in 2002 to commercialize bananas. After a Peruvian national development project to change coca farming to cacao farming, many farmers in the region began to focus on cacao. With a rising demand for Peruvian cacao, the farmer members of APROSAROCH switched their attention from bananas to cacao in 2009. APROSAROCH expects a continued increase in farmer membership since many farmers in the geographic highlands are converting from coffee to cacao due to challenges associated with climate change.
