Coolechera’s monthly milk collection falls by approximately 59.8%
The council’s figures put milk receipts at 1,589,339 litres in March 2025, when regulatory intervention began. By December, the monthly total had dropped to 1,285,004 litres, before reaching 638,429 litres in September 2026. The council also alleged that payments owed to producer-members had not been met and that collection routes had been discontinued. Its representatives said these problems had prompted suppliers to stop delivering milk.
Coolechera, formally the Cooperativa de Productores de Leche de la Costa Atlántica, was established in Barranquilla in 1933. Its founders were 38 livestock farmers who organised joint sales of about 4,000 litres a day. The cooperative subsequently developed chilling facilities, collection centres and industrial operations, providing a sales channel for farmers across several departments in Colombia’s Caribbean region.
According to its 2023 management report, cited by columnist José De Silvestri, Coolechera had facilities capable of receiving 700,000 litres daily and processing 480,000 litres. For decades, its infrastructure handled milk reception, cooling and processing in the region. In a column published on November 4th, De Silvestri called for the cooperative’s recovery as part of efforts to strengthen the Caribbean region’s formal milk market.
The cooperative’s financial restructuring predates the latest intervention. It entered a restructuring procedure under Law 550 in 2004 and was admitted to another business reorganisation process in August 2023. On March 27th 2025, the Superintendencia de la Economía Solidaria, also known as Supersolidaria, took control following a deterioration in the cooperative’s financial position. A resolution dated October 1st 2026 ended that measure and initiated the return of management responsibilities.
On October 15th, however, the administrative council declined to accept the formal handover before receiving sufficient information about Coolechera’s financial and operating condition. It also requested a forensic audit to examine the accounts and establish whether irregularities had occurred. The council’s objections concerned both the cooperative’s finances and the decisions made during the period of regulatory control.
According to reporting by El Universal, Coolechera representatives said the cooperative had recorded losses exceeding 17 billion Colombian pesos by the end of 2025. They also cited a deterioration in its equity position and outstanding obligations that were hampering continued operations. These financial concerns formed part of their objections during the dispute over the return of management control.
De Silvestri proposed restoring collection routes, rebuilding working capital and establishing reliable payment arrangements for suppliers. He argued that producers needed buyers able to accept milk regularly and meet agreed payments, and linked the cooperative’s recovery to a broader policy of formalising the dairy market. His column also called for accountability over decisions taken during the intervention.
