The Roots of Café Mam

Café Mam’s Beginnings    

    This story begins in 1982, when a group of farmers in Mexico read a magazine article in the Co-evolution Quarterly about New Growth Forestry, a worker-owned cooperative pioneering in stream restoration work in northern California.  They were interested in learning how to teach erosion control in Mexico.

    This group of farmers invited one of New Growth’s members, dahinda meda, to visit them in Tlascala, Mexico and teach classes on erosion control.  In 1987, two of dahinda’s students, Jose and Marta, became advisors on organic techniques to the recently formed coffee co-operative, ISMAM (Indigenas de la  Sierra Madre de Motozintla).

    In 1987, dahinda retired as a restoration contractor and became an organic blueberry farmer near Eugene, Oregon.  In 1989, ISMAM harvested its first certified organic crop of coffee. Because of the connection with Jose and Marta, dahinda purchased the first 37,500-pound container of coffee from ISMAM (invoice # 0001). Thus, Café Mam was born.

    That first container took five months to arrive in the U.S. and took over two years to sell.  It was some of the very first organically grown and socially responsible coffee available. In 1991, two years into the coffee business, dahinda asked his nephew Brad and son John to join the business. They agreed, and together, the three formed a family partnership.

    All three shared a conviction for organic agriculture and sustainability. They agreed to focus their intentions on exclusively organic products and to build a solid, lasting relationship with ISMAM. In addition, they agreed to support non-profit groups seeking to inspire positive environmental change by giving two percent of sales to pesticide reform. Thanks to our loyal customers, we have been able to donate more than $130,000 over the last ten years.

    The word of Café Mam has spread mainly by referrals. Our coffee donations to groups such as NCAP, Eco-Farm, Provender Alliance, Beyond Pesticides, and many others have also exposed thousands of people to the  taste of Café Mam. Thanks to our loyal fans telling their friends, families, favorite stores and restaurants about us, we have grown in sales every year.

    As we have grown, the ISMAM farmers have gained more control and respect in their lives, while their co-operative has flourished. ISMAM provided a model that other farmers in Chiapas were inspired to follow. By the year 2000, there were more than three-dozen co-operatives in the state and more than four in the Mam district. It is exciting to be a part of a revolutionary approach to co-operative coffee farming, where worker dignity is vital and families stay together farming on their own land without harmful pesticides. We now proudly support several of these newer co-ops, who grow the exceptional coffee we are honored to call Café Mam.

    When our company first began buying from the Mam region, the ISMAM co-operative was our single source for green coffee beans. Our commitment was to establish a long -term relationship with them and the Mam peoples. This enabled us to make a larger impact on the lives and well-being of the families who were depending on the co-op.  

    ISMAM has a policy of  “no re-election” that bans members from serving more than a single two-year term as an officer or committee member. In part due to this clause, many members decided to branch off and form co-ops of their own.  As these new co-ops were founded, ISMAM sometimes served as an intermediary to help sell their coffee.  Once the new co-ops became established, they were able to begin selling directly to buyers throughout the world. The fair trade model was giving families a higher price for their coffee and thus providing them with a better quality of life. The co-op model became increasingly popular in the region.  

    As ISMAM has grown, we have turned to several of the new co-ops as additional sources for our growing business. This has become a new and exciting development for us, resulting in a more consistent supply and a higher level of quality.

    We now do business a number of different suppliers - all of whom farm in the Mam district of southwestern Chiapas and northwestern Guatemala. This way, we are able to help more farming families across the Mam region.