Small-scale farmers are the backbone of our food system. They grow 70% of the food we eat, and yet they are some of the poorest and most marginalized people in the world.
For over two decades, we have been building direct and long-term relationships with democratically-run farmer organizations based on mutual respect, transparency, and fairness in some of the most challenging supply chains.
We actively engage with those growers and associations to learn more about their challenges and successes and better understand the realities on the farms. They are our partners. Reciprocally, the farmers and the representatives of their small producer organizations visit us in Canada to learn more about our market and cooperative business models.
These exchanges help us deepen our relationships, create north-south connections based on economic and social solidarity, and provide opportunities to spark and explore new business ideas together.
Organized democratic producer groups: engines of emancipation.
Farmers stand a better chance of improving their quality of life by working together, creating or joining a democratic organization to defend their interests and pool resources. Producer co-operatives and producer associations offer many advantages to farmers, particularly those living in remote areas: collective bargaining power; access to local and international markets; access and certification programs such as Organic and Fairtrade; sharing of knowledge and skills; access to equipment and other means of production at affordable prices; access to credit, loans and other financial services; quality assurance programs; community and social development programs.
We source ingredients for all Camino products from co-operatives and 2nd tier associations of family farmers in 9 countries: Dominican Republic, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Togo and Madagascar.
Caribbean & Central America
Discover the producer organizations we work with in Panama and the Dominican Republic.
South America
Discover the producer organizations we work with in Paraguay and Peru.
Africa
Discover the producer organizations we work with in Madagascar, South Africa and Togo.
South & South-East Asia
Discover the producer organizations we work with in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.