In Southeastern Brazil, the combination of coffee and milk boosts the economy of several municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais. It's a combination that gave rise to numerous agricultural cooperatives in the state, among them Agricultural Cooperative of Araxá (capal).

 

Located in city of Araxá, the Capal was founded in 1958 initially to meet the need for the supply of inputs and marketing for Minas cheese - a typical product of the region.

 

Currently the cooperative has 1,600 members and, in addition to receiving the milk, together with the farmers Cooperative Center, - CCPR/Itambé, provides feed and mineral supplements of its own fabrication for dairy production.

 

Capal also acts with associated coffee producers, supporting storage for up to 160 thousand bags, technical assistance and research through experimental coffee fields.

 

To supply the manufacturing and attend to associates, capal has six grain silos with a capacity of 600,000 bushels of corn. In its headquarters, it also is developing a digital inclusion project with a library, video library, and a Springs, Gully and Forest Recovery Project.