Nestled in the mountains in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica, the small town of Santa Maria de Dota is home to the coffee cooperative of Coopedota. A cooperative preforms all the functions of a coffee producer, miller and roaster but is not a single company. A cooperative is group of smaller producers who pool their resources to compete with the larger companies. This form of business organization brings several advantages and disadvantages.

One advantage is that smaller farms are able to enjoy the resources of a large coffee company. Many farmers that don’t have the land or network to invest in research now can go to the cooperative for help in making their farming techniques better. Some examples include the coffee carousel to dry coffee and hybrid plants to acclimate to climate change. Another advantage is that small farms earn the same baseline amount as the larger ones. This helps to assure that small farms are able to make a living and not be outdone by larger farms. One disadvantage is that a cooperative runs on a democracy with a small council elected by the producers. Since this system runs democratically, a decision made that affects the entire cooperative might not be the best decision for every small farm. Another disadvantage is that even if a farm wants to leave the cooperative, chances are they are too small to make it on their own. This means that small farms almost always has to join a cooperative in order to make a profit. Coffee cooperatives have several features that make them a viable option for farmers to join.

The community of Santa Maria de Dota would be very different without a cooperative. The cooperative provides a lot of business to the local community. They provide jobs not only to farmers but also in factory positions, foodservice, and administration. They also provide business to the local town in the form of tourists and coffee producers who are dropping off their harvest. Without the cooperative, Santa Maria de Dota would be a much smaller community with a different central market.

Café Privilegios is important to the community because it provides a local meeting place. It is also a way for the cooperative to interact with the local community. The café provides a place for the cooperative to sell their products straight to the region where they come from as well as space to be used to educate people about coffee. Café Privilegios provides a bridge between the cooperative and Santa Maria de Dota.