The ANEI association was founded in 1995 by Aurora María Izquierdo, an indigenous woman, with the aim of using coffee as a vehicle to promote her culture.  It brings together more than 600 producing families belonging to 4 different indigenous communities in the region of the Sierra Nevada and Serranía de Perijá, in the north of the country. The communities are isolated and want to keep their culture and heritage protected.
 
The Perija territory is located in the Valle del Cesar region of northern Colombia.  The plantations in this area were abandoned for a long time due to numerous armed conflicts.  Thepopulation was forced to flee and abandon their farms.   Returning years later, with the firm intention of rebuilding their lives, they reinvested in the area and have since succeeded in reviving the local coffee industry.  
 
Seventy per cent of the association are women.  In ancestral cultures, they symbolise mother nature, fertility and purity. The WOMEN programme has been set up to provide them with knowledge on new coffee growing practices to empower them through training. The association plays a social role by enabling producers to access micro-credits and school grants for their children.  
 

The coffee they produce is a varietal blend of Caturra Roja, Typica, Colombia, Castillo and Bourbon.