Tamoa

Location 
Mexico City, Mexico 
  
Programme  
Mexico Accelerator Programme 
in partnership with New Ventures   
 
Website 
www.tamoa.mx

Tamoa empowers small farmers and nurtures Mexico’s rich food heritage for a sustainable future 

In Mexico, around 65% of the 3 – 4 million small farmers live in poverty because they often have to sell their crops at prices below their production costs. This means many are forced to migrate to other places and cities to look for alternative work, losing biodiversity in native Mexican foods and ingredients. Additionally, industrial agriculture  — driven by maximising output and performance — often disregards the social, economic, and environmental costs, fostering monocultures that threaten local heritage.

In response, Tamoa is working to create a value chain linking local farming communities specialising in native foods and ingredients with urban centres across Mexico and beyond. The key to its solution lies in paying farmers fair prices while providing them with capacity development training to enhance their production efficiency. By doing so, Tamoa empowers farmers to thrive while preserving their traditions.

Tamoa partners with over 80 smallholder farmer families, groups, and cooperatives. The company works directly with farmers who preserve more than 50 species and varieties of corn, beans, chilli peppers, and cocoa from diverse regions of Mexico, including Chiapas, Guerrero, Yucatán, and more.

It commercialises production surpluses, building new distribution channels for ‘farm to table’ food, and its traceability system allows customers to connect with the origin of their food. Tamoa guarantees decent compensation for farmers by eliminating intermediaries and offers ethically produced, high-quality native crops. The company sells produce to restaurants, chefs, and tortilla shops in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Programme support

Tamoa aims to lay the foundation for scale through its participation in the Mexico Accelerator Programme. We’ll support the company in growing its network of farmer partners, developing its people strategy to attract key talent and evolving its e-commerce platform and strategy. 
We look forward to being part of Tamoa’s journey as they work towards creating a future where local farmers thrive, biodiversity flourishes, and communities are nourished, one responsible supply chain at a time.