The SEM Foundation announced to support a 2nd initiative in collaboration with the Rabobank Foundation. The SEM Foundation will provide €75.000 working capital to the Asociación de Productores Kemito Ene (Kemito), which is a cooperation in the Peruvian Amazone, active along the Ene river (East of the Andes).
Currently the organization has 290 members. Kermito produces high quality cacao and expects to export 120MT this year (vs. 90 ton last year) thanks to the support of the SEM Foundation.
Kemito buys all the cacao ‘wet’ (in baba) from its members, after which they process to dried cacao beans in their 15 collection centres. This means that the members of the cooperation don’t need to invest in expensive processing equipment. Even more important, this gives Kemito the opportunity to closely monitor the processing of the cocoa beans and ensure the quality of the processed cacao.
Kemito has the support of a loyal buyer who is closely involved with the organization and pays a fair price for the cocoa (3 times higher than the price that they get when selling locally).
Besides the financial support Kemito also works together with Progreso (provider of technical assistance) to increase their productivity and expand their network of potential buyers.
Due to this initiative more cocoa boans can be bought from the farmers at a fair price, which results in a higher quality of life for the farmers and their communities.
For more information on Kermito, please visit: www.kemitoene.com
