Donate to a Coffee Harvest of Change | Celebrating De La Gente’s 12 Year Company Anniversary
by Aliisa Oake
12 years ago, De La Gente was built on a belief – that coffee can generate meaningful impact.
From our beginnings in 2014 to today, we’ve grown alongside the small-scale producers and communities that we work with, evolving season by season much like coffee itself. Growth doesn’t just happen. It takes time, commitment, and resilience – rooted in strong relationships and shaped by every coffee harvest along the way.
Celebrating our 12th year anniversary is a celebration of all who have been a part of our work and the collective impact made possible over the years. As we reflect on our company anniversary, we’re reminded that like coffee, our work continues to grow – branching outwards, strengthening our roots, and creating new opportunities with every coffee harvest season. Our company anniversary milestone marks a turning point shaped by the collective efforts of the coffee producers we work with, our team, and our growing coffee community who uplift us and our work. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way – those who donate to our cause, purchase our coffee, participate in our activities, and spread the word of our mission.
Early stages of how coffee grows — coffee saplings
If you’re interested in reading more about the early stages of our work and how De La Gente began, read our previous blog post – Honoring Our Roots | De La Gente’s Journey As We Build a Brighter Future for Coffee Communities in Guatemala. In this blog, we cover key details involved in our journey, highlighting some of the ways we’re transforming supply chains and creating an impact in the lives of small-scale coffee producers in Guatemala and how we honor coffee as a livelihood, legacy, and a pathway towards opportunities.
Meaningful Turning Points in Our Work
De La Gente exists to provide stability for small-scale coffee producers in Guatemala by creating more economic opportunities and helping ensure that coffee farming remains a sustainable livelihood. When De La Gente began in 2014, we started off working alongside a group of 7 coffee producers who wanted a change. Today, we work with over 140 small-scale coffee producers from 9 cooperatives in four of Guatemala’s coffee producing regions. Over the years, our commitment has grown through a variety of community-driven efforts as we work towards empowering coffee growing communities to thrive and more opportunities have been created within the communities of our partner cooperatives. Through our microloan programs, producers have invested in essential machinery, improved infrastructure for coffee processing, and become involved in hands-on training programs – from sustainable farming practices to barista training. Thanks to the generous support of numerous foundations and individual donors, we’ve been able to distribute several depulper machines to members of different cooperatives and some coffee producers have been able to purchase more land to increase their coffee production. Additionally, several of our green coffee buyers have taken their own initiatives by organizing seasonal fundraisers to donate to De La Gente – further investing in communities. These coffee producers have improved their coffee quality with each coffee harvest – making their coffee recognized as high-quality, specialty grade coffee, which also generates a higher income for them.
Members of Women Caficultora Network during team meeting
In a constantly changing world, involving the global coffee industry and beyond, we have remained resilient. In 2020, we navigated the uncertainty of the pandemic in 2020, when we had to completely shut down our Community Tourism and Immersion Programs and relied only on coffee sales – a majority of it being roasted coffee – and the supporters who donate to our cause. More recently we endured the after-effects involving the dramatic fluctuations of the C market, which created disruptions across the supply chain and created a “new normal” for coffee prices. Each of these turning points have proven our ability to adapt and endure. Having influenced the formation of our organization, resilience has been a core trait of ours and continues to guide our work. With each challenge we face, our commitment to our mission is strengthened. As we celebrate our company anniversary, we’re looking back at all we’ve accomplished. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve collectively accomplished over the past 12 years and what we’ve built alongside coffee producers through each coffee harvest.
Coffee harvest season in Guatemala — basket of coffee cherries
In every stage of our work, we prioritize our partner cooperatives. We listen closely to the needs and challenges of small scale coffee producers and their community members to take the necessary steps needed to implement scalable projects and take initiative to create meaningful change. Looking back the early days of De La Gente up to today, more impact has been created in Guatemala’s coffee growing communities alongside each coffee harvest. Through our Cooperative Assistance Program, we’ve expanded our impact by working with more coffee producers, administering new projects, and creating new opportunities for them.
Additionally, we’ve continued to seek out opportunities that recognize small scale coffee producers in Guatemala. More specifically, by overcoming challenges faced by women in coffee, we created the Women Caficultora Network, providing women coffee producers with more opportunities in every stage of the coffee cultivation process up until its export. This year has been especially exciting for us as 2026 was declared as the Year of the Woman Farmer by the FAO of the United Nations – highlighting the crucial yet under-recognized role that women play in global food systems. Over the years, we’ve also guided more pathways for the future of younger generations of coffee producing families through the creation of the Young Entrepreneurs of San Miguel Escobar – encouraging them to grow and lead in coffee and beyond.
Coffee producer of The Coffee Growers of San Miguel Escobar during coffee harvest season
Our growth wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for our supporters and our team, which has also expanded. This year, we welcomed new members of our team. Luis Rodríguez, who worked with us as an Interpreter took on the position as the Community Tourism Program Coordinator and we re-established our Development Program with the inclusion of our Development Manager, Isabel Santos. The expansion of our internal team has contributed to a meaningful milestone for us, creating a turning point that expanded our capacity to sustain and scale our work. Within our team, we bring together shared knowledge and new perspectives as we adapt, evolve, and respond to challenges more effectively. Building a supportive and collaborative team of both new and longtime staff members has been essential to our growth and ensures that our work is innovative, but also remains grounded in our core values.
Each Coffee Harvest Transforms Into A Harvest of Change
The small-scale coffee producers we work with in Guatemala’s coffee growing regions have taught us what resilience means. Their dedication and perseverance to their work as they continuously adapt and innovate is what inspires and motivates us to continue uplifting them and work to overcome challenges – cultivating opportunity with every bean. At De La Gente, we are driven by the people behind every cup, and the potential that each coffee harvest holds.
Stay connected to the work behind the harvest and follow along on our journey!
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