The Only Right Decision is to Grow
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Africa
October 19, 2026
For Ramon, coffee was more than a means of putting food on the table. It was in his blood.
A fifth-generation coffee farmer, Ramon, his wife, and their four children lived in the rural heights of Central America, where he worked on his 4-acre farm. Despite limited resources, Ramon produced eight to ten thousand pounds of coffee each year and created seasonal employment for 15 coffee pickers.
But for years, Ramon’s location worked against him. It took two hours to reach the nearest coffee collection center. Seven hours to reach the capital. Like many smallholder farmers in his community, Ramon had no option but to sell his coffee to local intermediaries at low prices. Without greater production volume, transportation, and market connections, Ramon would never be able to reach international buyers and earn a fair return for his work.
Bringing Coffee Farmers Together
Everything began to change when Ramon connected with a local partner of Partners Worldwide that links rural coffee farmers to their coffee value chain. This partner equipped Ramon with business training, technical assistance, and digital tools to monitor his progress. But it was coaching that really took Ramon’s business to the next level.
Ramon learned how to organize neighboring farmers—and that’s exactly what he did. A natural leader, Ramon brought together 30 certified coffee producers in his community. By working collectively, they can consistently meet the quality and volume requirements of international buyers, opening doors that would have been impossible for individual farmers to access on their own.
Beyond higher incomes, the partnership has provided something equally valuable: stability. Through our local partner, the group of farmers can negotiate contracts that protect them from the uncertainty and volatility of the coffee market.
"With [our partner], I feel secure because we have contracts that protect our income. The coffee market is unpredictable, and there is a lot of speculation. By working together, we can access international buyers and secure prices that are often above the local market," Ramon said.
Today, Ramon's vision extends well beyond his own farm. He dreams of further improving his family's quality of life, sending all of his children to college (his oldest daughter is currently pursuing her dream of becoming a math teacher), and creating more employment opportunities within his community.
