SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA – At the ceremony for the 2024 Sustainable Food Awards in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on July 4th, Pachamama Coffee received the great honor of winning the international award in the Sustainability Pioneer category. The award celebrates trailblazers who undertake groundbreaking steps to advance sustainability in the food industry.
For nearly two decades, Pachamama has set a gold standard for sustainability in coffee with its smallholder, Farmer Owned business model.
A Global Cooperative of Farmers, Pachamama Coffee is wholly owned and democratically governed by thousands of smallholder producers in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ethiopia. Coffee farmers set their own price, control the entire supply chain, and hold every vote in the boardroom, making Pachamama the only coffee roaster in North America to be vertically integrated from the global South to the North.
“Out of necessity, we carved our own path straight to the consumer. When we founded Pachamama Coffee in 2006, our vision was to empower smallholder farmers as profit-makers,” says Merling Preza, Co-founder and President of Pachamama and General Manager of PRODECOOP in Nicaragua.
“Our mission is to shorten the supply chain by connecting responsible coffee producers with conscious consumers in the North. In doing so, we earn a profit and answer directly to the people who drink our best organic coffee.”
The recognition of Pachamama Coffee at the 2024 Sustainable Food Awards underscores the profound impact the global, Farmer Owned business model makes on the coffee industry.
It highlights Pachamama’s nearly two-decade-long commitment to sustainability and empowerment of smallholder farmers with its transformative approach that prioritizes economic stability and environmental stewardship.
The award celebrates Pachamama’s achievements and inspires other smallholder producers to establish Farmer Owned companies to shorten global supply chains.
