Posted by Root Capital  |  June 15, 2018

We’re excited to share that we’ve been awarded a four-star rating from independent evaluator Charity Navigator for the twelfth year in a row. This top rating is given to nonprofits that demonstrate the highest standards of accountability, transparency, and financial health. Receiving it twelve years running places Root Capital among the top 1% of all nonprofits in the United States. What does this mean for you, as a supporter of Root Capital? It means you can feel confident that your donation is making a real difference, every day, for rural communities.

Topics: News and Announcements | Partnerships |

Posted by Willy Foote  |  June 4, 2018

Alongside several pioneering organizations in development finance, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) recently testified in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in support of a market-based approach to foreign aid. Root Capital is proud to partner with OPIC to connect smallholder farmers to global markets. Our CEO and founder Willy Foote submitted the following written testimony in support of OPIC's work to place capital where it's needed most.

Topics: News and Announcements | Partnerships |

Posted by Melanny Zúñiga  |  April 6, 2017

Lula Pérez, asesora de Root Capital. En diciembre del 2016, con la aproximación del cierre de la Iniciativa para la Resiliencia de los Productores de Café (CFRI, por sus siglas en inglés), aprovechamos la oportunidad para celebrar los resultados de este esfuerzo polifacético de canalizar capital y capacitación a empresas asociativas productoras de café en la lucha contra el brote de la roya en América Latina.

Topics: Advisory Services | Mexico and Central America | News and Announcements |

Posted by Mike McCreless  |  December 6, 2016

Root Capital, like many impact investors, operates in the gray area between traditional philanthropy and mainstream commercial markets. As a mission-focused lender, the organization serves the financial needs of small- and medium-sized enterprises—a Fair trade coffee cooperative in Uganda or an association of women quinoa producers in Bolivia, for example.

Topics: Advisory Services | News and Announcements |

Posted by Matt Foerster  |  April 29, 2016

This year, the world will consume more coffee than ever before. And industry projections point to growing demand in the years ahead, especially in emerging markets. Take China, for example. During its annual investor meeting last month, Starbucks highlighted that it’s opening the equivalent of one new store in China every day. The problem, however, is that this rising global demand for coffee cannot be met with a dwindling supply.

Topics: Climate Action | Mexico and Central America | News and Announcements | Partnerships | South America |

Posted by Matt Foerster  |  April 18, 2016

Pictured: Jorge Cuevas from Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers, Fátima Ismael from SOPPEXCCA, Willy Foote, Angelique Karekezi from Rwashoscco, and Ruben Espinoza from Cenfrocafe Last week, the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) recognized Root Capital founder and CEO Willy Foote with its 2016 Leadership Medal of Merit. The CQI medal has been presented annually for the past decade during the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Expo, which took place April 14 to 17 in Atlanta.

Topics: News and Announcements |

Posted by Rachel Serotta  |  February 24, 2016

Founded in 2012, Open Road Alliance is a private philanthropic initiative that provides grant capital to non-profits for mid-implementation projects facing an unexpected roadblock or a sudden catalytic opportunity. Open Road has been a donor to Root Capital since 2013 and most recently became a lender, providing a long-term loan that is subordinate to senior noteholders. In this guest contribution, Maya Winkelstein, Open Road’s Executive Director, discusses the organization’s investment strategy and their evolving relationship with Root Capital.  

Topics: News and Announcements |

Posted by Elizabeth Teague  |  December 2, 2015

Today, we're thrilled to announce the release of our latest issue brief, Investing in Resilience: A Shared Value Approach to Agricultural Extension.  This issue brief is the third in a series supported by the Skoll Foundation and the Citi Foundation.  As world leaders gather in Paris this week for the latest round of climate change talks, there is increasing attention on the role of agriculture as “both a victim of and a contributor to climate change.”

Topics: Climate Action | News and Announcements |

Posted by Willy Foote  |  November 24, 2015

Root Capital staff, clients, and supporters during a recent trip to Colombia. Every day, I feel thankful for the chance my team and I have to grow prosperity for low-income communities around the world. We serve farming families living in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable — moms, dads, and grandparents raising kids, crops, livestock. We help foster the growth of agricultural businesses that organize and purchase the harvests of hundreds, often thousands, of local producers. We provide services to strengthen enterprises and help them custom fit to local realities. It’s a highly local thing, and I love that.

Topics: News and Announcements |

Posted by Darcy Salinger  |  August 12, 2015

Photo credit: Lendingmemo.com Credit risk: the potential that a borrower will fail to meet its contractual obligation to make a payment. Credit risk exists with every loan, and at Root Capital, our number one job is to manage that risk while investing in environmentally and socially responsible enterprises that build better livelihoods for smallholder farmers around the globe.

Topics: News and Announcements |