Farmer Impact Fund

Investing in Coffee Communities

Directly connecting coffee drinkers and coffee farmers for the first time.

Farmer Impact Fund is a turnkey program that allows Bellwether customers to create a direct impact in coffee producing communities.

Retailers who participate in Farmer Impact Fund pay a premium on top of their green coffee price which is then collected and added to the fund. 100% of the funds collected are directly distributed to producers who decide independently how to spend it.

By investing in coffee communities, we can help break the cycle of poverty plaguing the world's coffee farmers.

Peru Churupampa

The producers of the Churupampa Cooperative received a payment of $5,000 that they invested in a food security project. The funds enabled 20 coffee‑producing families to build vegetable gardens and purchase small animals to ensure an adequate and healthy diet in their communities.

Huehuetenango, Guatemala

With the support of the Farmer Impact Fund, the ACODIHUE cooperative has been able to launch a dental hygiene program. Dental care in the Cuchumatan region of Guatemala is often either unattainable because of distance to the nearest clinic or cost prohibitive for coffee producers. To date, the funds provided through the Farmer Impact Fund have enabled 14 people—12 women, one man, and one child—to receive emergency dental care.

Tolima, Colombia

In April of 2020, participating coffee shops raised an initial $3000 that was distributed to the ASOPEP cooperative just in‑time to help them mitigate the risk of spread of COVID‑19. ASOPEP purchased PPE for all of the healthcare workers in their villages. They also launched an initiative to deliver essential services to producers living outside of town to protect producers from contracting the coronavirus.

Bunum Wo, Papua New Guinea

Through the Farmer Impact Fund, the Bunum Wo Estate was able to build a roof for the local Deeper Roots Early Childhood Elementary School in the Pima region of Papua New Guinea. The school construction is in its final stage and will be opening in the coming months for students ages 3‑6 years old.

Direct Balloon Payments to Farmers

The price per pound paid to farmers for their coffee doesn’t compensate for savings or investment in critical infrastructure. This has caused many farmers to either live without these important upgrades or take out predatory loans between harvests, keeping them trapped in a cycle of poverty. The Farmer Impact Fund disrupts this cycle by making direct cash payments to producers that they decide how to spend, relieving them of the need for loans.

Farmer Autonomy in Spending

Farmers know how to invest in their own communities. They know what problems need to be solved and where to invest. The Farmer Impact Fund doesn't vet or approve projects selected by producers, giving them full autonomy to invest the funds in whatever projects they choose.

Connecting Coffee Drinkers and Retailers to Farmers for the First Time

There is currently no mechanism for connecting the price consumers pay for coffee with the price farmers receive. Farmer Impact Fund finally creates a direct financial relationship between coffee drinkers and coffee farmers, critically linking the price paid for a cup of coffee to the price received by producers.

Eliminates Between-Harvest Debt Cycles

Producers often require private, high-interest loans for between‐harvest projects and repairs, creating a financial deficit that many cannot escape from. Some farmers who are wary of these loans also make the tough choice to go without, further disadvantaging them and their communities. By giving funds directly to producers outside the banking system and without the burden of repayment, farmers are able to invest every dollar into their farms and communities.