CACOCAFEN, Nicaragua Located in Northern Nicaragua, La Central de Cooperativas Cafetaleras del Norte (CACOCAFEN) is a coffee cooperative made up of 1,897 small-scale coffee farmers. Its mission is to produce high quality coffee, provide excellent customer service, and raise its members' quality of life. Its programs include (1) credit programs for women, which encourage them to diversify their sources of income and find food security, (2) agricultural training for members in areas such as organic and shade cultivation, terracing, soil conservation, and crop diversification, and (3) educational improvements provided through scholarships for members and their children.

Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) was formed in 2002 as an association of 22 local cooperatives in southern Ethiopia. The major aim of the cooperative is to secure better prices for farmers and access the international coffee market. With money earned from the Fair Trade price earned from international buyers, the co-op has been able to support education through the construction of new schools in three local communities, improve the quality of members' coffee grown in the area, and simply provide inspiration for the future of farmers in the area. The YCFCU also has plans to implement health, credit, and women's' programs.

Oromia, Ethiopia Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU), founded in 1999, is the largest Fair Trade coffee producer in Ethiopia, where more than 15 million households are dependent on coffee for their livelihoods. Cooperative members use revenue from Fair Trade sales to (1) purchase and repair equipment, which ensures that the organization produce high quality Arabica coffee, (2) increase food security as members lessen their dependence on imported food and begin to grow other crops such as citrus and bananas, and (3) provide technical assistance to farmers to guarantee that organic production continues. In 2005, the cooperative was awarded first place for their unwashed coffee in the 2005 Eastern African Fine Coffee Association cupping competition.

COCLA, Peru COCLA is a coffee cooperative association located east of the Incan city of Machu Pichu in Peru. In an area with very few economic options, Fair Trade offers a viable alternative to growing coca, the main ingredient in cocaine. The cooperative uses revenue from Fair Trade sales to invest in various initiatives, including (1) sustainable agriculture, which encourages crop diversification that leads to improved nutrition of farming families and an additional source of income, (2) improved coffee quality, (3) education, and (4) healthcare, through the implementation of "Ayni Salud," a program which aims to improve the health of and raise medical awareness in member communities.

La Voz, Guatemala "La voz que Clama en el Desierto," or "The Voice that Cries out in the Desert," is a coffee cooperative founded in 1977 by the men and women of San Juan de la Laguna. Faced with escalating social and political upheaval and decreasing coffee prices, members decided that working collectively would improve social and economic conditions. With the higher incomes gained through the Fair Trade price, the cooperative has (1) improved education by donating money and supplies to local schools, allowing all cooperative members to send their children to primary and secondary school, (2) invested in sustainable agriculture through building terraces, planting shade trees, diversifying crops, and following organic standards, and (3) funded healthcare programs that distributes basic medicines in each of its three communities.

Rainforest Alliance The Rainforest Alliance works in partnership with companies to certify their agricultural, forestry, or tourism operations under internationally recognized social and environmental standards. Little River participates in the Rainforest Alliance's sustainable coffee program, whose seal ensures that the coffee has been grown on farms that meet certain environmental and social standards. It assures consumers that every farm is protecting wildlife and the environment, reforesting, and recycling. Every farmer on certified farms benefits from improved working conditions, environmental education, better housing, clean water, and access to schools and medical care. At Little River, three blends with the Rainforest Alliance seal are available: Brazil, Honduras, and El Salvador.

Bird Friendly Little River Roasting Company also participates in the Bird Friendly coffee program overseen by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in Washington, D.C. The Bird Friendly program supports the shade grown coffee plantations that play a key role in the conservation of migratory birds that have found a sanctuary in their forest-like environment. Shade-grown coffee, in contrast to sun-grown or "technified" coffee, provides food and shelter for songbirds, as well as other animals and plants. At Little River two blends certified as Bird Friendly are available: Costa Rica: La Amistad and Peru.