Café Local eliminates intermediary organisations between small coffee farmers and potential buyers, resulting in fairer prices and better opportunities

In Mexico, 80% of agriculture happens thanks to small-holder farmers. Unfortunately, these people don’t have access to technology, funding, or training to become more sustainable or achieve fair prices for their produce. Coffee production is one of the most affected sectors, where farmers have to migrate to big cities or cross the border as coffee production is being ruled by intermediaries and other actors.  

Café Local eliminates the intermediary organization between small coffee farmers and their potential buyers so they can obtain fair prices and improve the living and working conditions in their communities. By eliminating the intermediaries, Café Local is able to:

• Increase the income of the farmers (before collaborating with Café Local, each farmer made approximately €1.5 per kilo of coffee, now they can make €5 per kilo).
• Provide training to the farmers so they can improve their production methods and incorporate sustainable practices.
• Café Local also sells the coffee of the farmers to businesses and clients on their website. 50% of these sales are reinvested in the communities in technology and machinery.

Since they started operating in 2015, Café Local has worked with 210 farmers and reached over 14 different communities in Mexico. They continue to look for ways to perfect and standardize their processes so they can reach even more farmers in México. They want to learn how to create B2B partnerships so they can diversify their income streams despite the pandemic, or any other challenges that might come. 

They are also looking to find more ways to use their network to improve the lives of their beneficiaries. They would like to make partnerships to invest in better living conditions for the families of the farmers.

After his fellowship with Obama’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, Luis founded Café Local. He is passionate about coffee and his ultimate goal is that farmers can again feel a great sense of achievement, pride, fairness, and success by producing coffee.