Colombian coffee is grown with plenty of shade, which slows the growth and allows better development of the acids and sugars in the bean.  The harvest begins at lower altitudes of 1,200 meters in September and continues up the mountains reaching coffee growing at 1,700 meters in January.  Founded in 1994, APCO is a well organized group of 270 farming families, most of whom live in the municipality of Ocamonte in the state of Santander, Colombia.  The primary goal of APCO is to assist members in improving their quality of life through the commercialization of coffee.  Profit from the coffee is used to implement social projects that are carefully managed by a Fair Trade committee that assesses community needs and determines how the social premiums from fair trade contracts will be used.  In 2008, these premiums funded the construction of a patio and wet processing facility on each farm, a fund for public construction, and a fund for education.  To find out more about APCO click here.