Letter from the Director

Letter from the

Directors

We’re sure you have heard it a countless number of times, 2020 has been described with adjectives varying from challenging to unprecedented. The fact is that it was certainly different. We like to use a metaphor we heard recently—”We are all in the same storm, but we are not on the same ship.” This certainly proves true for smallholder farmers in developing countries. The pandemic is an added complication to their already challenging situation of low commodity prices, consolidation in the coffee industry and climate change.

Our mission is to pay farmers as much as possible for their coffee and services, which means that in order to sustain ourselves, we rely on other sources of income besides the coffee exports. As you may know, revenue from tourism and service learning trips accounts for the majority of our budget. Travel to Guatemala came to a complete stop in 2020, and we don’t see it returning to anywhere near the previous levels until 2022. Guatemala depends on agriculture and tourism as its main job generators in the country, which means that a vast majority of the nation is being affected due to the repercussions of the pandemic and the lockdowns.

We are aware that it was a challenging year all across the globe. We are extremely thankful to our customers for their business and commitment to our organization. Regardless, coffee exports decreased during 2020 compared to the previous year and 2021 will be even lower.

In order to compensate for the decrease in income for our producers, we have been very active in creating online courses and virtual experiences. Sales have slowly started to increase. Every time a course or a virtual tour is sold, the farmers who participated in creating that content receive a royalty payment. We have also been very active in promoting our online coffee sales and have seen a large increase. The situation is complicated, but as the rest of the world, we are seeing better times ahead. We will continue to work to improve smallholder coffee farmer’s lives in Guatemala and with your support, we will find ways to make it happen. We invite you to share information about our online experiences and virtual tours. As well, please visit our online store and buy some of our delicious coffee!

With support from our customers and donors, along with our amazing staff and committed Board, we are confident we will return to normal and become an even stronger partner to our farming communities.

We hope you and your loved ones have a great 2021. We hope to see you again soon!

Much thanks,

Julio Martínez

Interim Executive Director Brandi Stewart-Wood

Board Chair