Posted by Catherine Gill  |  June 15, 2015

“It feels like a scourge from God,” said 58-year-old coffee farmer Nicholas Pineda as we inspected rows of diseased coffee bushes on his farm in remote Santa Barbara, Honduras. Like thousands of other coffee farms across Latin America, Nicolas’ 18-year-old farm was hit with “coffee leaf rust,” a fungus that, over the last several years, has reduced large swaths of verdant coffee country to fields of spindly, leafless plants and has caused more than $1 billion in economic damages.

Topics: Our Community | Stories of Impact |

Posted by Lauren Baum  |  April 29, 2015

Al Liu, former board director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), is a true coffee connoisseur. As a trader and certified coffee specialist for Atlas Coffee Importers, Al has traveled extensively throughout the world's coffee lands, including those in Indonesia – the latest country added to Root Capital’s growing roster of coffee-growing locales. We recently sat down with Al to get a coffee insider’s perspective on the Indonesian coffee market, the country’s smallholder landscape and the significance of Root Capital’s new presence in Sumatra.  Al Liu (in green) with collectors at Koperasi Permata Gayo in Bener Meriah, Sumatra.

Topics: Our Community | Southeast Asia |

Posted by Root Capital  |  March 31, 2015

Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Pangoa (Pangoa), a Fair Trade and organic-certified coffee cooperative located in San Martin de Pangoa, Peru, has been a Root Capital client for nearly a decade. Pangoa is a shining example of the power of the cooperative in local communities, and it’s unique in many ways – first and foremost, because it’s led by a woman. For the latest post in our 15 Voices blog series, we’re excited to share a recent interview with Esperanza Dionisio Castillo, Pangoa’s general manager, a true visionary who has been recognized internationally for her effective managerial skills and impressive commitment to Pangoa’s members and the broader community.

Topics: Environment | Livelihoods | Our Community | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |

Posted by Catherine Gill  |  February 2, 2015

We wanted to make sure you saw that you saw David Brooks' recent New York Times Op-Ed on impact investing. This as an important validation of the support you, Root Capital's investors, donors and friends provide, and the impact that this special blend of capital achieves.

Topics: Our Community |

Posted by Root Capital  |  January 22, 2015

We recently sat down with Kevin Starr, managing director of the Mulago Foundation and the Rainer Arnhold Fellows Program, both of which are focused on scalable solutions to meet the basic needs of the very poor. Kevin also teaches and mentors fellows in numerous other programs for social entrepreneurs and serves as the chairman of Big Bang Philanthropy, a group of funders working together to direct more money to those best at fighting poverty. In our interview, Kevin talks about the Mulago Foundation's history with Root Capital and the "ah-ha" moment that provided him greater insight into the catalytic role of agricultural finance.

Topics: Our Community |

Posted by Root Capital  |  December 22, 2014

Our next 15 Voices interview is with Rosario Castellon, Root Capital's former senior loan officer in Nicaragua.  Born and raised in the rural town of Condega, Nicaragua, Rosario co-founded the country’s first fair trade coffee cooperative in the early 1990s.  She went on to run supplier relations for sustainable business pioneer Equal Exchange before joining Oxfam, where she led a groundbreaking collaboration between Mexico’s largest farmer cooperative, Oxfam, Starbucks and the Ford Foundation.  In 2005, Rosario brought her incredible experience and deep commitment to farm families to Root Capital as a senior loan officer. During her nine-year tenure at Root Capital from 2005 - 2014, Rosario helped build our operations in Latin America, bringing a wealth of personal and professional experience to advance our mission. 

Topics: Our Community | Staff Profiles |

Posted by Root Capital  |  November 29, 2014

Bonnie Cockman (left) on a client visit in Chiapas, Mexico As Root Capital’s former SVP of Finance & Operations, Bonnie was instrumental in building the foundation of Root Capital’s “back office” functions, laying the groundwork for our growth and success.  During her seven years at Root Capital, the organization grew from 25 staff members to 125, and increased annual lending from $30 million to $115 million. Prior to joining Root Capital, Bonnie worked as the VP of Finance for Conservation International. She currently serves as at two climate advocacy organizations, as Board Chair of Better Future Project and Managing Director of Mothers Out Front. 

Topics: Our Community |

Posted by Root Capital  |  November 12, 2014

Jonathan Rosenthal (right) with Rosario Castellon, Root Capital's former loan officer for Nicaragua  Jonathan Rosenthal has been a friend of Root Capital since the early days. As one of Root Capital’s founding board members (2001-2007), Jonathan has been a critical advisor to Root Capital, always helping us stay true to our mission and remember the needs of our clients. For the last 25 years, Jonathan has created and managed projects that help advance social justice issues in the global fair trade community. He current serves as the executive director of Coop Coffees and advises numerous fair trade organizations. He is also the co-founder and former executive director of Equal Exchange, a worker owned fair trade organization.

Topics: Our Community |

Posted by Jesse Last  |  November 8, 2014

Jesse Last is the Cocoa Sourcing Manager at Taza Chocolate and former Value Chain Relations Manager at Root Capital. This piece originally appeared on Taza’s blog.  The dirt road before us drops down from beautiful, rolling hills into the tiny beach town of Dame-Marie, disappearing into the white sand and…

Topics: Mexico and Central America | Our Community | Stories of Impact |

Posted by Root Capital  |  October 23, 2014

We’re so pleased to share an interview with Wendy Schmidt as part of our 15 Voices blog series. In 2006, Wendy established The Schmidt Family Foundation to advance the wiser use of energy and natural resources and to support efforts worldwide that empower communities to build resilient systems for food, water, and human resources. Here, Wendy shares her reflections on the Foundation’s involvement with Root Capital’s peace and recovery work in post-conflict countries. We’re deeply grateful for Wendy’s support and the support of The Schmidt Family Foundation in helping us grow rural prosperity in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas.

Topics: Our Community |