Edgar Aguilar, a young coffee producer from Marcala, Honduras, faced a significant career challenge. The leaf rust disease had devastated his coffee crops, leading to unemployment in his municipality. However, along with other young coffee producers, Edgar established Pacayal Coffee in 2014, which continually works to improve their product quality, quality of life of their producing families, and quality service.
Despite its efforts and quality coffee, Pacayal Coffee faced financial constraints and supply problems, which hindered its growth. In 2022, Edgar, the general manager of the organization, and his team received training from a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded program Farmer-to-Farmer assignment with The National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) to develop a marketing plan. They updated their website, social media and implemented marketing strategies, such as having direct and effective communication with their clients to evaluate their customer service and areas to improve, for local commercialization sales. Following a workshop and training session, they were even able to separate their financial records. Christian Guzman, member, and technical assistant manager of Pacayal, shared that what prompted him to participate was his “desire to learn and be able to understand what a marketing process is. Knowing the financial opportunities that can be had from an investor, as well as knowing how to balance the distribution of investments (external and banks).”
The training immediately impacted Pacayal Coffee’s sales, doubling their average sales in one year from 17,647 pounds to 35,294 pounds, resulting in an additional $8,090 in sales. The training also helped them decrease their financial costs, saving them $40,000, which they used for more financial capacity for liquidations and investments.
Moreover, the volunteer connected Pacayal Coffee with a potential coffee client from Nashville called “Bridging Tables.” The CEO visited their facilities in February 2023 to establish a long-term business relationship, strengthening Pacayal Coffee’s client outreach.
Thanks to the assignment, Pacayal Coffee attracted new clients and financing, which helped them overcome their financial constraints. They developed their first business organigram and are undergoing a restructuring of all the roles and functions of their employees, providing a 180° turnaround on how they do things.
Today, Pacayal Coffee is a leading enterprise that promotes commercialization between producers and buyers, empowers women, improves children’s wellness, and protects the environment. Edgar and his team continue seeking valuable resources and knowledge to further their growth and development, inspiring other coffee producers to follow suit as his slogan states, “Quality Does Not Suffer Crisis.”
