Access To Finance Jorge Páez is part of the Indigenous Nation Wintukwa and has served as the Operations Director at the Association of Indigenous Agroecology Producers (ANEI) since 2013. Credit: Jorge Edgar Páez Izquierdo
Jorge Edgar Páez Izquierdo is a proud second-generation farmer. For 29 years, he has worked with ANEI, an organization of indigenous producers growing coffee and cocoa in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serranía del Perijá mountains of Colombia.
Founded in 1995, ANEI unites farmers from four of Colombia’s main indigenous groups: the Arhuacos, Koguis, Wiwas, and Kankuamos. All descendants of the Tayrona people, they believe they are the custodians of the land and fulfill this role by maintaining a harmonious relationship between humans and nature.
ANEI’s motto, “sowing peace and weaving the future,” encapsulates the Tayrona peoples’ vocation to protect the land and shape the fabric of humanity.
The Challenge
Building and scaling ANEI has not been easy. Members have struggled to reach global markets and relied on a long chain of intermediaries to export their produce. Additionally, access to credit has been a persistent issue.
“Because we are farming families, we have traditionally spent all of our time organizing our farms,” explains Jorge. “But at some point, we started to notice that to generate better incomes and have more solid relations with the markets, we needed to get out there. It was hard to get started because we didn’t have many connections, and when we met someone and they wanted to do business with us, we didn’t have credit to build on that. That was a roadblock for us.”
Root Capital connected with ANEI in 2015. Credit: Root Capital
Our Collaboration
“About 10 years ago, we met Root Capital at a training session where they were teaching farmers about coffee market opportunities,” continues Jorge.
At the time, ANEI’s members embraced the opportunity to learn new ways to strengthen their business model and forge connections with the global coffee industry, but they were not ready to take on lending capital.
With the help of Root Capital’s advisory services, ANEI built a solid business foundation and got to a place where it was ready to take on its first loan. Our financing has allowed ANEI to invest in facilities and resources to help make the business more sustainable. Today, ANEI and Root Capital partner across a wide spectrum of services to help the organization achieve its aspirations.
“Working with Root Capital has been a unique opportunity to move forward and learn new things–such as climate change handling, data analysis, and business management,” says Jorge. “The Root Capital team is very close to us and has tried to dig deeper and learn more about us and our organization, and that has helped us to develop trust…That trust has continued to help move the organization forward.”
The Impact
After working with Root Capital, ANEI has been able to drastically cut the chain of intermediaries it relies on, gaining more direct access to international markets and increasing their profits.
Data management has been revolutionized, too. With the support of Root Capital’s Digital Business Intelligence services, ANEI has transitioned to a paperless system, where all data is digitized and can be accessed by field technicians and other decision-makers.
Other Root Capital services are helping to foster a more sustainable community. ANEI received a grant to support young farmers as technical trainers to assist other families. ANEI also created a roadmap for greater gender equity. The organization is now collaborating with several NGOs to give more visibility to women farmers and ensure their rights are protected.
“The work we’ve done and the support of Root Capital are like seeds that we are planting,” concludes Jorge. “As we start to have more young people and women who are empowered, we create new leaders. This impact will extend beyond the organization and to the wider community, because these new leaders will make decisions that affect not only coffee production, but the life of the community at large.”
Collaborating with Root Capital has provided ANEI with resources to stay true to its mission as an agroecologist organization–one that is committed to promoting sustainable food systems, while being respectful of people and the environment. Additionally, ANEI’s work with Root Capital has allowed them to now reach new lenders, both social lenders and traditional banks. As the organization continues to safeguard local ecosystems and provide support to new community leaders, the future looks bright for the indigenous stewards of Colombia’s bountiful mountains.