UC Berkeley

This study explores the role of coffee cooperatives in providing for the social welfare of Coto Brus, a rural Costa Rican county. The research explains how, to what extent, and why these cooperatives have become involved in development and organizing projects that benefit not just their members but also the community. Data were gathered by ethnographic immersion in the community over 8 months. Sources included published government reports; interviews with cooperative managers and employees, cooperative members, and community members; participant-observation in community and cooperative events; and administrative records from cooperatives. The research suggests that cooperatives are reflective of a social development approach to social work practice by attempting to harmonize economic, social, and political aims. At first, cooperative members coalesced around meeting economic needs for the community. They, then, engrained a commitment to providing social goods. Recently, they have also spearheaded a coalition of community organizations to engage in political, non-partisan advocacy. In sum, they promote community welfare through the economic, social, and political realms. The cooperatives' involvement in the community is not wholly virtuous, and there are gaps between discourses and practices, which obviate their potential to promote community welfare. In spite of these gaps, the two cooperatives have served as engines of development in the county. The paper concludes by considering ways in which cooperatives can be strengthened to maximize their potential for social development.