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In KPKP society, we used the Fairtrade premium to repair the roof of our secondary school and also build public toilets; we are currently building 6 classrooms for 321 school children.

- a member of KPKP society
 
We have better knowledge on how to harvest and prepare coffee.

- a member of KOPVOCH

Before RECOCARNO

Before RECOCARNO the farmer cooperatives were largely isolated from each other and lacked the organisation, infrastructure and critical mass to change the business practices that were working against their long-term interests.

They were compelled by their circumstances to sell their coffee to local speculateurs (intermediary traders) for very low prices. The low rewards, lack of training and variable standards of product did not provide opportunities to change matters by accessing the returns available for high-quality, fairly traded coffee on the international markets.

The very low prices also encouraged a laissez-faire attitude to coffee, and there was little incentive to improve or even preserve the crop: coffee trees were sometimes cut down to make way for yams.

All this has changed: good quality coffee is now supplied to the demanding export market and the returns have helped to create a structure where training, information-sharing, quality control and a start on infrastructure improvement have become possible. All members of the co-operatives have a real motivation to work for continued change, and meaningful rewards for their efforts.

RECOCARNO is a network of 8 cooperatives representing over 5000 members from the North and North-East Departments of Haïti. Farmers cultivate small landholdings, usually 0.5 to 2 hectares in size, in a labour-intensive manner involving the entire family.

RECOCARNO markets high quality washed Arabica coffee collected and prepared by the cooperatives themselves. RECOCARNO has direct contact with European and Japanese importers in the Fairtrade market. Since 1997 it has been registered with the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) and sells coffee at the Fairtrade premium price.

RECOCARNO has become established as an autonomous export business owned and managed by the producers themselves.

The business aims to achieve a positive social and economic impact on the lives of the producers, their families and communities.