Ues
UES: Coffee Producer in Mexico
Union de Ejidos y Comunidades San Fernando (UES), is a coffee co-operative based in Chiapas estate, Mexico, which was established in 1984 and is committed to the production of Fairtrade certified, specialty coffee.
Today, UES supports 906 farmer members with a stable income, in addition to delivering consistent technical assistance to improve coffee quality and productivity on their farms.
Each UES member works to firm Fairtrade principles, enabling the co-operative to access a growing specialty coffee market and reach buyers across the globe, including longstanding Shared Interest partner and ethical coffee retailer, Cafedirect.
Image: Silvia Herrera, Commercial and Financial Manager at UES, assesses the aroma of her co-operative's coffee as part of the coffee cupping process.
Credit: Cafédirect
Mayan Gold: How UES have Pioneered the Production of Prized Fairtrade Coffee
Cafédirect, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2024, is an ethical retailer and one of the first companies to sell Fairtrade certified coffee in 1994. It was at this time, in the early '90s, that Cafédirect began working with UES and sourcing coffee from the co-operative. Today, coffee from UES can be found in Cafédirect's Mayan Gold, available here.
UES Financial and Commercial Manager, Silvia Herrera, recently visited the UK and participated in celebrations for the Fairtrade Foundation’s 30th anniversary. Silvia also visited longstanding UES buyer Cafédirect. The coffee industry won’t survive without its growers - and they won’t survive if they can’t invest in their farms and take care of their families; through Cafédirect's direct farmer relationships, they are able to understand and respond to the needs of farmers, supporting the future of good coffee.
Silvia said:
“Cafédirect shows there are alternative ways of working – partnerships, where all the voices are equal. We’re sharing values – like caring for people and the environment.”
As well as setting the bar for sustainably sourced, Fairtrade coffee across the globe, UES also maintains a strong local impact, ensuring its members are comprehensively supported with resources and training.
The co-operative has worked to improve coffee-drying patios for 289 of its members, to bolster efficiency during the harvest season.
Income diversification is another initiative UES are promoting to ensure its members are sufficiently supported, which has involved the implementation of a food safety project and vegetable plantations on members' farms.
In 2022, UES launched production of organic fertilisers for 100 of its members, in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation, which provided delivery of related technical assistance and training.
UES, café, Mexico.
Montrant le chemin des meilleures pratiques agricoles et de la production de bonne qualité, UES (Union de Ejidos y Comunidades San Fernando S.P.R. de R.I.) est un groupe de 1 379 producteurs de café de la propriété Chiapas dans le Pacifique Sud côtier de Mexico.
En 2014 sa plantation de café a été atteinte de Roya, une maladie qui a causé de gros dégâts. UES a dressé un plan pour régénérer ses cultures et un programme visant à rénover sa plantation, et a demandé un financement a Shared Interest.
Directrice générale adjointe Silvia Herrera a dit :
"Nous sommes très reconnaissantes a Shared Interest de leur confiance en notre programme visant à rénover la plantation. La saison dernière la production s'est accrue de 29% grâce au travail planifié. Maintenant nos producteurs ont des fermes saines et Roya est finalement enrayée."
Une responsabilité environnementale.
A plus long terme, autant que pouvoir empêcher Roya de s'étendre, UES s'attend à ce que sa plantation de café augmente de 48%.
Les fermiers d'UES ne considèrent pas seulement comment ils peuvent rehausser la production et la qualité de leur café. En tant qu'entreprise sociale, ils développent des projets communautaires pour répondre aux besoins de leurs producteurs. Ils collaborent même avec le Gouvernement pour aider les fermiers à améliorer leurs conditions de logement.
UES déclare : "Notre responsabilité environnementale et notre amour de la campagne nous poussent à persévérer dans la cultivation biologique, et non seulement cela mais également à chercher des alternatives qui nous permettent de rendre ce que nous pouvons de tout ce que la terre nous a donné. Nous nous trouvons dans une région privilégiée ou la terre, l'eau et le climat favorisent tous la production de notre café."
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