Mayorga Organics sources, roasts, and sells coffee beans to the US market, with two SQF-certified facilities in Maryland and Florida. The company has worked side-by-side with Latin American coffee producers for more than 20 years, focusing on direct trade and new, mutually beneficial business opportunities. It operates across Latin America, with a presence in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Colombia, and El Salvador.
To find out more about Mayorga’s current projects and business relationships, we spoke with Martin Mayorga, the Founder and CEO of Mayorga Organics, a PRF 2021 Diamond Sponsor.
1. WHAT ARE MAYORGA ORGANIC’S MAIN OBJECTIVES FOR 2021?
Our 2021 plans and objectives are reflective of our overall objective: to move more products for our producers and to continue to represent the Latino community and our countries in a positive light.
We have a few products coming out that reflect that commitment; we are also enhancing our direct-to-consumer strategies to provide these with the most efficient distribution possible.
2. AS A BUSINESS, WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM 2020?
The biggest takeaway from 2020 was appreciating the power of relationships. Our relationships with our staff helped us to plan and manage at an uncertain time when we were all concerned at a deep and personal level.
We also realized the relevance and importance of having direct relationships with our producers. We were able to support some who had customers abandon them and default on contracts; in turn, they were able to help us with more coffee when we saw a huge spike in demand.
The ultimate example of the power of relationships was our campaign to raise approximately US $150,000 by allocating all of our online sales for six weeks to support the people and communities that were impacted by Hurricanes Eta and Iota. We even had customers donate additional funds when buying products to make a bigger impact.
We were able to get basics like food and water to communities within 24 hours of the hurricanes to help people in Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; now, we’re building 8 homes in northern Nicaragua.
3. HOW DOES MAYORGA ORGANICS SUPPORT SMALLHOLDER PRODUCERS ACROSS LATIN AMERICA?
In short, we build real relationships with them. That entails understanding all their needs and working with them to address those needs.
For example, we sign contracts with producers months before harvest; they use those contracts to seek financing. We work with their bank to commit to paying them directly as soon as the coffee is packaged in a container, and in turn push the bank to significantly reduce their interest rates. This results in a HUGE saving for producers.
Beyond that, we help them to diversify, support them to increase productivity, negotiate with the mill for better pricing and transparency, and essentially communicate with them every month of the year to ensure that they are constantly moving forward. It’s not as simple as just paying more.
4. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MAYORGA ORGANICS’ RELATIONSHIPS WITH ITS PRODUCING PARTNERS? HOW HAS THIS CHANGED OVER TIME?
Our relationships are genuine and personal. As previously mentioned, we’re very informed about and engaged with their needs and challenges.
These relationships have deepened over time. More importantly, however, we’re now able to drive more impact for our producers through volume, thanks to our growth over the years.
Credits: Mayorga Organics