Today we visited the company Coopadota which is a cooperative company that focuses on the production, roasting, and selling of high quality coffee. A cooperative refers to the idea of smaller groups working together to reach a larger common goal.

In comparison to a traditional company, a cooperative is beneficial in areas of insight as there are many people with many differing ideas cooperating for mutual benefits. It is beneficial as it allows the small participants to share resources, ideas, and increase their presence in the market. For the company Coopadota, an advantage added through being a cooperative also includes stability as they rely on more than just one farmers crops. Coopadota has 900 families within the community that provide resources to the company, and in return receive aid, information, and other benefits that would not be available otherwise.

Even though a cooperative is valuable for the community of Santa María de Dota, there are some disadvantages that come with choosing to run a company in this way. Instead of being able to progress and differentiate themselves from competitors, a cooperative levels the playing field in a sense making every smaller party equal. Coopadota compensates for this by adding the opportunity for different families to become certified in areas of quality and sustainability. This allows them to obtain an added value for their products as they put more effort into their specific coffee.

The community of Santa María would differ greatly without being a cooperative. The community would be more separated, and there would be less support for the community as a whole. It would be harder to control the economic stability, and environmental sustainability of the individual farmers if they ran separate companies. In particular, having Café Privilegios is important for the community because it creates added value for the community allowing for a partnership with a high school and barista school allowing to train people to work for them. Overall, Coopadota as a cooperative is beneficial to society, and has a strong positive impact on the local community as a whole.