CAES Piura

CAES Piura is a farmer-owned cooperative in northern Peru that works with more than 270 smallholder farmers to produce and export certified organic peanuts and panela (unrefined cane sugar). The cooperative provides technical assistance, organic certification support, and centralized processing, enabling farmers to access premium international markets and earn higher incomes. CAES is the first cooperative in Peru to export organic peanuts and reinvests fair-trade premiums into farmer training and production improvements. Beneficial Returns provided a working capital loan to finance new peanut-processing equipment, increasing production capacity and enabling the cooperative to supply higher-value blanched peanuts to export markets.