AGROCAPITAL – Bolivia
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
The FUNDACIÓN AGROCAPITAL is a non-profit organization (NGO) created in the framework of coca eradication programmes and as an incentive to agricultural production alternatives. The headquarters is in the city of Cochabamba.
Agrocapital is a member of ASOFIN, the association that groups the Fondos Financieros Privados (FFP), MFis whose legal form is under the supervision Superintendencia de Bancos y Entitades Financieras (SBEF). Mission of Agrocapital is the promotion and financing of production, trade, consumption, housing and service, offering competitive financial services, with special emphasis on micro and small entrepreneurs. 50% of Agrocapital's portfolio has a maturity of more than two years, highlighting its rural vocation. The loans (customers) are approximately 4.700.
The loan of 200,000 Usd is for microcredit portfolio expansion.


EMPRENDER - Bolivia
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Emprender is Financial NGO (Institucion Privada de Desarrollo), created in 1999 by microfinance professionals.
Since the beginning activities take place in areas where there are no services offered by regulated MFI (La Paz South first, and later El Alto), at a time when the industry was deeply touched by the microfinance crisis of end-1990s.
Emprender works primarily with the methodology of solidarity groups (60% of portfolio). Recently, work has begun with bancos comunales. On average, loans are 200usd, with about 5,000 active clients (70% women).
Two loans, for a total of 150,000usd to expand portofolio are important to support the rapid growth of one of Bolivian most promising microfinance institutions


FADES – Bolivia
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
The FUNDACIÓN PARA ALTERNATIVAS AL DESARROLLO (FADES) is a non-profit organisation institution (NGO) founded in 1986 by Centro de Investigacion y Promocion del Campesinado (CIPCA), Centro de Estudios de la Realidad y Socal Accommodation (CERES) Centro de Estudio para el Desarrollo Laboral y Agrario (CEDLA), Centro de Educacion Popular Q'HANA (Q'HANA) and the Union Nacional de Instituciones para el trabajo de Accion Social (UNITAS).
FADES' microloans are for productive and commercial activities, with the objective of achieving a multiplier effect in depressed peri-urban and rural areas. In addition to microcredit services (individual, housing for employees, for emergencies), FADES offers other services such as payment of bills (utilities), paying / receiving pensions, migrants' remittances. Customers are mostly in rural areas (not just agricultural), with over 90% of the portfolio of more than 20,000,000usd. Active customers number 25,000 aprox.
Two loans for microcredit portfolio increase, for a total disbursement of 560,000usd.

APICOP - Chile
Fair Trade Producer
APICOOP was founded in 1997, by a project started in 1980 by the Catholic Church with funding by International Community and Misereor after the coup, which deprived the rights of agricultural workers who had benefited from the land reform of the government of Allende. “Bees” activities started in the '80s, the first container was exported (to CTMAltromercato) in 1990.
Producers associated with Apicoop bought the processing plant by the local diocese with which they had come in conflict. It is about 60 families who sell honey, through fair trade and conventional channels (fair-trade account for 65% of turnover, with decreasing trend).
Apicoop received a 'revolving' loan for working capital, as well other smaller ones for production facilities, for a total disbursement of 200,000usd.

ARTESA - Ecuador
Fair Trade Producer
Artesa is a limited liability company founded in 1972 by brothers Crespo and Eduardo Vega, an internationally known ceramic artist. During the thirty years of its existence, RT has built a solid reputation as a producer of excellent ceramic crafts.
The relationship with the circuit Trade Fair began in 1999 (FTO-Holland was the first importer). Despite being a private company, and therefore an exception to the standards of Fair Trade, Artesa intends to be an example of a socially responsible company, with attention to the environment, capable of creating a virtuous circle for employees and stakeholders. To this end, with the support of a project led by FTO funds of the European Union, was established Artesa Foundation, which aims at "improving the living conditions of workers in Artesa and their families" (art. 1 of the Statute).
The Foundation was created to respond to the need for transparency of Fair Trade, which ensures that Fair Trade premium is entirely for the benefit of workers.
The Foundation is also executing two specific projects:
Study on nutritional minor children of 12 years old (children of employees).
Improvement of work environment.
The loan of 100,000euro is for working capital.


CEPESIU - Ecuador
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
CEPESIU (Centro de Promocion y para el Empleo Urban Informal Sector) was established in 1983 to provide micro-credit services and technical assistance to microentrepreneurs not served by other MicroFinance operators. CEPESIU receives funding and support from national sources (BancoSolidario and Codesarollo) and international Funds (Etimos, Oikocredit, Alterfin, BID), a portion of these loans (BID) are intended for non microfinance activities (wooden furniture). CEPESIU is representative of FOGAL (the guarantee fund of SOSFaim) for Ecuador. It currently serves more than 1,500 micro entrepreneurs(70% women).
E' in corso il terzo finanziamento, per un totale erogato di 240,000usd. Objective: microcredit portfolio.


ESPOIR – Ecuador
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
FUNDACION ESPOIR is a financial NGO founded in 1992 to help poor women microentrepreneurs of Ecuador, providing credit for businesses and training to strengthen their capacity to produce income. The principles applied are: enterprise (efficient management of resources, institutional sustainability), equity (equal opportunities to all poor women without discrimination), gender (particular attention to women).
The methodology is that of "bancos comunales”, currently about 300, with 7000 members / active customers. The activity of ESPOIR is mainly directed at the segment of people not reached by microfinance services, usually in a situation of high poverty, and in rural areas. ESPOIR serves over 10,000 women participating in the Red Financiera Rural, the association of microfinance institutions.
Two loans, for total disbursements of 500,000 usd for microcredit portfolio.


FUNDACION MCCH – Ecuador
Fair Trade Producer
The FUNDACION MCCH is a non-profit legal entity of private law with social purpose, created in 1985 by the efforts of his inspirator, the current President, Father Graziano Mason, and on the basis of experiences with organizations operating in urban poorest neighbourhood. The aim of MCCH is to contribute towards improving the living conditions of the poorest sectors of Ecuadorian society and strengthening their organisations, through the coordination of trading of agricultural and farming products, handicrafts and basic goods. The three loans to MCCH up to a ceiling of 350,000usd were intended for the purchase of cocoa.


FUNDAMIC - Ecuador
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
The Fundación de Ayuda Microempresarial FUNDAMIC is an NGO (entitad privada sin fines de lucro) created in 1995 providing financial (mainly microcredit) and non-financial services (technical assistance and training) in urban, suburban and rural cities of Quito and Santo Domingo de los Colorados.
It's a rather small organization, with a staff of 14 people, including six credit officers (5 to S. Domingo). Building on limited initial support in 1998 and in 2002 (a gift for about 30k usd) by the German International Cooperation (GTZ, DED), FUNDAMIC increased its microcredit portfolio with commercial loans by international financial institutions (SRIs).
Fundamic offers credit for working capital and small investments, between 200usd and 2000usd, 2 to 9 months long. The activity is concentrated in the capital and in Santo Domingo, which now accounts for 75% of the assets (portfolio, active customers). The loans are about 1300, with an average loan of 400usd (17% of per capita GDP), women account for 70% of portfolio aprox. Credit products are diversifying: until 2005 the only product was the individual credit, FUNDAMIC then launched a Solidarity Group methodology to serve small microentrepreneurs which could not qualify for individual credit (for lack of guarantees).
Fundamic also offers savings products, insurance.
Two loans, for a total disbursement of 150,000usd, for solidarity group microloans.

APRAINORES – El Salvador
Fair Trade Producer
APRAINORES is a non-profit organization born in 2002 as a result of a project of Oxfam in the area of collection, processing and export of cashew nuts. The Cooperative, which currently includes 63 individual small producers, is expanding its activities with a significant increase in exports through the channel of the European fair trade. With its organizational growth, APRAINORES pursues a strategy of industrial investment aimed at improving the treatment of cashew nuts.
Purpose of the loan: 50,000 usd to purchase the nuts.

AJQUEN – Guatemala
Fair Trade Producer
The association of artisans Aj Quen (The Weaver) is a private, not-for-profit, development, apolitical and secular organization born in 1989 on the initiative of artisans groups in the various regions of Guatemala, in an effort to work collectively to achieve a sustainable and autonomous development. The purpose of the association is mainly directed to improving the lives of communities, with the promotion of handicraft.
Born with a strong push by international cooperation (Project Oxfam Belgium and revolving fund of FIA-USA), the association maintains a strong ethnic identity and counts some thirty groups (artisans, weavers) for a total of about 800 people involved.
Aj Quen has evolved using the channels made available by Fair Trade institutions in the world, with which it maintains excellent relations, also for the quality of its products (with a continuous updating of materials and design -- in collaboration with customers).
As required by Guatemalan law, the business has recently been framed in a company set up with separate legal personality: "Proyecto educational para la comercializacion of textile art," for the manufacture, sale and export of local products and crafts.
The association itself offers training activities in the community, still with funds provided by cooperation. It also offers loans (microcredit) to members and third parties (often still family members) for various activities (mainly agriculture / farming, and trade).
Two loans, for a total of 87,000usd, support microcredit activities and the completion of the Association's Training Centre.

UNDUGU SOCIETY – Kenya
Fair Trade Producer
Undugu Society of Kenya is an association founded by a Dutch missionary, Father Arnold Grol. Father Grol worked in the valley of Mathare, one of Nairobi's horrid slums. Undugu Society was originally founded as a welcome facility for street children, with shelters as well as vocational training. Over the years a series of small workshops where children are started to work as apprentices were created. Collecting funds from Europe, Undugu Society has managed to createa true artisan district, economically self-sufficient, a small company that can build new jobs. With the death of Fr Grol, Undugu Society has taken a more secular profile, with a capable and motivated management that has been able to start, alongside its activities in the project, an export unit, producing handicrafts for Fair Trade channels. The handicrafts produced in the slums is sold through Undugu not only in the European Fair Trade but also in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The number of artisans coordinated by the project is constantly growing, and a new food business is under planning.
The loan of € 100,000 will be used to increase volumes and opening new areas of production (food).

LA CENTRAL – Honduras
Fair Trade Producer
It's a second-tier cooperative, grouping 47 active cooperatives with more than five thousand members, all individual producers of coffee (1-3 hectares). La Central keeps a high political profile, and in September 2003, had been instrumental in approving a national law for the restructuring of debt of coffee producers.
The loans, for 100,000usd total disbursements, were used for the purchase of a drying plant (pergamino gold) in the El Paraiso and for coffee purchases form members.
www.lacentral.hn

EMPRENDAMOS JUNTOS- Mexico
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Emprendamos Juntos (EJ) is an NGO (Asociacion Civil sin fines de lucro) founded in 1998 by SIFIDE (Sistema de Financiamiento para el Desarrollo del Estado - San Luis Potosi), at the urging of Interamerican Development Bank. The goal is to use the resources allocated by the same SIFIDE to the support of small businesses.
EJ's social mission is to "develop the productive efforts of people in marginal groups and extreme poverty, in order to create better living conditions for themselves and their families through financial services (credit and savings) and technical assistance. More than 95% of EJ's 9,500 customers are women, working mainly with the village banking methodology (95% of the portfolio): groups of 15-30 women manage their savings and loans from EJ.
EJ also offers a quick Commercial training at the time of disbursement of the loan, and 'ad hoc technical assistance on request (free).
EJ is a member of ANMYF (association which brings together 42 MFIs in the Country), the MicroCredit Summit, and will participate in Prodesarrollo (network of Mexican MFIs).
The loan is 150,000euro for micro-credit portfolio.


UNION REGIONAL DE HUATUSCO - Messico
Fair Trade Producer
The Union is an association of about two thousand small coffee producers in the State of Veracruz. The presence of the Union allows the small farmer to deal with the effects of low prices for coffee, strengthening his family activities and avoiding emigration to the capital or to the United States. The Union has developed an intensive programme of support for organic coffee, of which a large part is marketed through fair trade channels.
The Union was founded at the initiative of a local peasant leader who had taken to heart the problem of land reform in Mexico from Zapata on, and who passed away in 2005.
Purpose of the loan: 120000 dollars for renovation of coffee plants with organic cultivation, expansion of industrial installations devoted to organic production. This is a second loan after the first Usd 100,000 loan was fully repaid.

FDL - Fondo de Desarrollo Local - Nicaragua
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
FDL is a non-profit organization founded in 1993 with the aim of offering financial services to small and medium entrepreneurs in urban and rural areas to improve their standard of living. Created under the auspices of 'Instituto de Investigacion y Desarrollo de la Universidad Centroamericana - NITLAPAN, FDL is active was formally constituted as Microfinance Institution in 1997.
Member of ASOMIF, the association of microfinance institutions with a code of self-regulation, FDL today counts 28 offices, 11 branches and 17 agencies, where 280 people work for a total of 24000 active customers. To accomplish its mission, FDL has qualified human resources with appropriate technological infrastructure and cooperates with other institutions nationally. FDL is currently the largest not regulated MFI in Nicaragua.
The objective of the 400,000 usd loan is for microcredit portfolio.


Prestanic – Nicaragua
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Prestanic is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 by the Credit Program of CEPAD, a local NGO linked to the Council of Evangelical Churches, which had continued to manage some of the activities of the Central Bank after the Ortega Sandinista government fall of 1990.
PrestaNic customers are particulars and companies, solidarity groups, women, small and medium producers, village banks belonging to society's poorer layers. The capital of PrestaNic is held by CEPAD at 100%, with a composition of the Board of Directors specializing in microfinance issues and focused on issues of development, equity and poverty. The Management is of high quality, as recognized at national (ASOMIF) and international (FIG-RAFAD)level.
PrestaNic is active in three departments of Nicaragua (Managua, Esteli, Matagalpa), with a predominance of rural activities (about 2/3 of portfolio). PrestaNic methodology, especially in rural areas, has important synergies with the activities of CEPAD (knowledge of the territory, training and monitoring of customers).


UCA - Nicaragua
Fair Trade Producer
The Union de Cooperativas Agropecuarias was founded in 1990 as a result of institutional changes following the end of the Sandinista government, with 14 co-operatives, now reduced to 4 (for approximately 100 manufacturers).
UCA operates a veterinary pharmacy in Juigalpa, and members are cattlers (fattening and dairy production). This operation, conducted in cooperation with the NGO Mani Tese, is at the fourth edition.
Three loans, for a total disbursement of 205,000 Usd, were used for the purchase of livestock, held for a period of between 10 and 14 months, and sold at favourable conditions.

ECOTRADING - Paraguay
Fair Trade Producer
ECOTRADING YVA PY (joint stock companies) was founded in 2003 to meet the need of the associates to have a specialized structure for the marketing and export of their products: sesame (organic / fair), organic soya, lupine, fresh and dried fruits, aromatic and medicinal plants.
Shareholders of Ecotrading are (1 / 3 each for a share capital of 78000euro):
FUNDECA: local tarding, and member of RELACC.
FUNDASOL: financial institution
COPEP (Central de Organizaciones Productoras Ecológicas of Paraguay): technical assistance.
Around 8200 producers (and families, all COPEP members) work with Ecotrading. It is thought 3000 more (non-members) producers could be involved.
Ecotrading is member of RELACC (Latin American Network of Commerce Community), and IFAT-LA.
The 150,000euro loan is for working capital and the purchase of sesame/soya processing equipment.

COCLA - Peru
Fair Trade Producer
The Central de Cooperativas Agrarias de La Convención y Lares Ltda .. No.281 (COCLA) was established in 1967. It's a second-tier structure, based in Quillabamba (district of Santa Ana, province of La Convención, department of Cusco, Inka region), which brings together coffee cooperatives of the La Convención and Yanatile Valleys, and providing members with storage services, financing, industrial processing, export, technical assistance.
COCLA specializes in the treatment of high-quality coffee, coming from areas between 1000 and 1800 m, with natural soil fertility.
Member Cooperatives number 21 (they were 7 at creation), and about 7000 families (out of a total of about 30000 producers in the area of reference). COCLA is the Country's largest Coffee Export Cooperative, and among the top ten exporters of coffee' of the country. COCLA is a shareholder of Rainforest (coffee processing and trading) and Credinka (savings and loans organization in the Region).
A primary role is reserved to educational activities, from training of producers (technical and commercial) and families (education, health, the role of women), to the planned establishment of a Higher Technological Institute in Quillabamba. Educational activities are mostly financed by COCLA's own resources.
Social life in intense, with a pronounced effort on the part of COCLA to integrate cooperative members and producers. The Electoral Committee, a body required by law, provides a continuous work to ensure the participation of producers.
In recent years, COCLA has greatly increased the quantity of exported coffee (now equal to about 100% of the total handled), mainly focussing on special coffees, which can command prices higher than those current on conventional markets. In this context, global growth expectations are moderate, and COCLA aims to further diversify its production (food for livestock, poultry, honey, cocoa, soya, etc..) The main aim of COCLA is to be the driving force for local development.
Two loans, for total disbursement of 250,000usd, using the 'revolving' scheme.


INTERCRAFTS CIAP - Peru
Fair Trade Producer
Intercrafts is a joint-stock company created in 2003 in Lima from CIAP Comercial, a limited liability company formed in 1996 by the members of the Central Interregional de Artesanos del Peru (CIAP; www.ciap.org). Intercrafts is a member of Ifat, International Alternative Trade Federation, and supplier to Ctm altromercato. Its mission is to defend and preserve the Andean and Amazonian cultural identity by promoting and strengthening artisans' organizations, thereby supporting the integral development of the communities from which the associations come. Members of Intercrafts are the representatives of member associations, representing about 20 groups with a total of 400 families. Intercrafts deals with the marketing of handicraft of members; from product concept, increasingly with the help of some foreign designers, to the organisation of orders among craftsmen, to shipment. CIAP also plays a leading role in the development of fair trade in Peru: it organized the first national forum on the topic in November 2004, has promoted a national law for informal artisans and founded the National Network for Trade Fair with other organizations in April 2005.
Two loans were disbursed to Intercrafts, for 50,000usd and 70,000euro respectively, for working capital, guaranteed by a security of Microcredit Coop, a shareholder of CreSud.


PROEMPRESA - Peru
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Proempresa was founded in 1997 by the NGO Instituto de Desarrollo del Sector Informal (IDESI), and is a financial institution of ethical responsibility and social commitment, dedicated to financial intermediation and oriented mainly to the area of Micro and Small Enterprise. Proempresa offers services in the cities of Lima, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Apurímac, to about 40,000 microentrepreneurs (of which 40% women). It is an EDPYME (Entitad para el Desarrollo de la Pequena y Mediana Empresa), an ad hoc legal frame for Microfinance Institutions in Peru.
Traditionally linked to the world of Socially Responsible Investments (Novib, Hivos-Triodos, Oikocredit, BID, Incofin, Dexia) with credit lines, Proempresa/IDESI actively looked for expansion in shareholding structure; new members, with IDESI keeping more than 70% of the shares, are ADA Foundation, Luxmint, INCOFIN, Volksvermogen.
After total disbursements totalling close to 650,000usd in the past, CreSud is now shareholder of Proempresa, for an amount of Usd 500,000 worth of stock (type B).


CONFIANZA - Peru
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
CONFIANZA was founded in 1993 as a microcredit programme the NGO SEPAR, for the supply of finance to small and micro enterprises. Incorporated as EDPYME, Confianza initially only operated in Junin Dept., and has now 5 agencies in the central regions of the Country (coast, sierra and amazzonia - dept. Junin, Ucayali and Lima) - The recently opened agency in Lima shows very high growth rates. In total, customers for one of Peru's most dynamic MFI surpass the 25,000mark.
Well managed by a group of professionals originating in Junin, it now enjoys a wide shareholding base, including many international institutions (Novib, Oikocredit, Incofin, Volksvermogen, Agrobanco, Fund.Gilles , Alterfin, SIDI, FOLADE).
We are at the third loan with a disbursed total 250,000usd and 100,000euro, which are used for micro-credit portfolio.


ALTERNATIVA - Peru
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Alternativa S.A. is an EDPYMEs (Entidad de Desarrollo y a la Pequeña Micro Enterprise) created in September 2001 at the initiative of the Cámara de Comercio y Produccion de Lambayeque (CCPL), which is an apolitical civil organization composed of natural and legal persons, with the aim to offer competitive financial services to small and micro enterprise in the North and in the East of the Country.
The range of products offered: Créditos PYMES for about 70% of the portfolio; Crédito Consumer; Crédito Diario (daily); Creditos Mi Casa and Mi Baño.
Born from an idea developed in a joint CCPL - IaDB project since 1993, Alternativa has rapidly grown, counting about 15000 active clients and a portfolio of about 8 m usd (about 500usd average - one of the lowest for Edpymes, highlighting the attention to a very small scale enterprise).
The loan by CreSud is for 200000usd, for expanding micro-credit portfolio.


RAINFOREST – Peru
Fair Trade Producer
This limited company is owned by COCLA, other coffee cooperatives of Peru, and Fair Trade importers (Twin Trading, Douque Coffee, Van Weely), with the aim of making coffee cooperatives independent from private industry.
The loan by CreSud, 250,000usd, was used for the construction of a brand new plant now valued at more than 410,000Usd.
Rainforest Trading is a consortium that works to facilitate access to the international market of small coffee producers of Peru. Financial and technical assistance is provided, together with the monitoring of environment and the rights of workers. Rainforest works today with about 10000 small coffee producers scattered throughout Peru.

SPBD South Pacific Business Foundation - Western Samoa
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
South Pacific Business Development (www.spbd.ws) is CreSud's first partner in Oceania. The SPBD is a non-profit organization created in 2000 by Gregory F. Casagrande (member of the Board of Directors of PlanetFinance and the Committee for the UN Year of Microcredit) in Western Samoa. SPBD mission is to combat poverty by improving the status of women through training and provision of financial services (credit and savings), while maintaining principles of commercial operations (sustainability of operations). SPBD adopts the model of Grameen Bank loans group solidarity. His clients, 2300 women divided into 14 groups, belong to very poor areas, usually excluded from other existing microcredit initiatives. SPBD, who is a member of the Samoa Associatons of NGOs (SUNGO) and the local Chamber of Commerce, offers two products without credit guarantees (50 weeks and 4 months), as well as a savings product in collaboration with a local bank. The funds are intended solely to credit for productive activities and not for consumption. CreSud issued an initial loan of 50,000 Usd, followed by a second loan of 50,000euro.

Microfund - Togo
MicroFinance Institution (MFI)
Microfund (www.inaise.org / FR / Microfund) is the first partner of CreSud in Africa. Microfund is a savings and credit cooperative recognized by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Privatization of Togo. Founded in 1998 by an initiative of NGO Esperance-Vie (Esvie) today Microfund has become a second-tier organiztion with 30 employees, working with groups credit and savings for a total of more than 7,000 Associated beneficiaries. Most of these customers are groups of female solidarity belonging to the weaker sections of the active rural and urban populations. The methodology of Microfund is based on loans partially guaranteed by local savings deposits (sight or term, but in fact savings are bound to the existence of a loan, compulsory savings). CreSud disbursed a loan of 36,000euro.

Go up