A shared journey into the world of Latin American farmers, the premium goods that they produce, and a start-up venture.
In my first post here on Steemit, I mentioned that I work with farmers in Central America and will be importing their products into the United States. The current relationships that I have with these farmers have been developing over several years and we have been building trust with each other. I trust that they will deliver premium and specialty-grade coffee – as they already have – and that they will continue to produce premium cacao as well. They trust that I can pay them their asking price and that I will not misrepresent them or their products in the consumer markets.
The reciprocity is critical to our plans going forward, as we are circumventing the usual manner of business in the coffee industry, where large foreign importers buy massive volumes of coffee from what are called “third-tier exporters” in the producing countries. As a small start-up, I cannot guarantee quantities and I rely on my farming friends to reserve several lots of coffee for me, which I may end up not being able to purchase if my plans here don’t work out. Meeting the farmers, spending time in their homes with their families, and proving to them that I am interested and invested in their farms and their craft has pretty much been my only collateral. Luckily for me, my physical presence there and my genuine interest in their lives carries a lot of weight with them.
After many discussions with these farmers in Costa Rica, we have agreed to make investments in the farming communities as the company grows. Not only do I pay the producers directly and forego all of the middlemen, but I will also dedicate a percentage of our revenues to community projects in the farming regions. Some of these projects will include purchasing musical instruments and developing learning programs for interested students, providing needed sports equipment for students and athletes in the farming towns, offering English language classes so that better paying jobs in the larger cities and beach resorts may be more easily obtained, providing much needed funds for the physically and mentally disabled who are often neglected, and generally improving the lives of those in the local communities by listening to the actual residents and doing everything in our power to assist them through projects or programs that they would like to begin.
But before any of this can happen, I need to have the appropriate revenue streams.
As I move towards the heart of the start-up phase for my business, there is certain equipment that I need in order to scale the business to a level where larger wholesale accounts can be secured, in addition to my direct retail sales. I am hopeful that Steemit – the creators and voters in the Steemit community – will help me achieve that goal.
My plan and my promise to you, the Steemit community, is to dedicate 50% of my revenues from all of my content here to my business and its related projects going forward. (And I won’t just be writing about my company full-time.) Any portion of the money that is no longer needed for business equipment will go directly to the additional community programs. I will keep the Steemit community regularly updated on my progress and keep a tally of the funds acquired and used for each aspect of the company and the various programs.
Essentially, you – the readers – will serve as my initial crowdfunding participants. I’ll supply quality content and you can choose to support it based on its merit, based on your desire to see me accomplish my dreams and goals, or based on your desire to see improvement in farming communities in Central America. In essence, this will be a blogging journey of sorts and an experiment to serve multiple purposes of growth and development.
With the power and influence of Steemit – my ability to create content and the generosity of your votes – we can not only create a successful company, but we can also create a successful blueprint for voluntary international cooperation among businessmen and enrichment programs that will actually have a positive impact on the lives of children and families in extremely poor communities.
No coercive states. No middlemen. No non-profit organizations eating up valuable resources on administrative costs. Just you (all) and myself making substantial positive differences in real human lives.
Let’s make this happen together, voluntarily. Be a part of something new and truly unique without any risk to you, but full of rewards – and not just of the monetary kind. And who knows…if everything goes well, you may even get a free bag of premium coffee out of it!
Follow me and track our progress together! If you have any questions about my business or this project, just ask!