EP1620 Part 5 of 5 | New Ways To Fund Coffee Businesses (Freddy Rivard) | Map It Forward

Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email [email protected] to learn more.Episode DescriptionThis is episode 5 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest in this series is Freddy Rivard, Co-Founder of Honduran Coffee Alliance and Insula Coffee. Throughout this series, we explore how financing works in coffee and why understanding liquidity, risk, and value chain relationships is critical to building a more resilient coffee industry.The coffee industry faces enormous challenges, but it also presents opportunities for innovation. If producers, importers, exporters, roasters, financial institutions, and educators are willing to think differently, new financing models may help strengthen the entire value chain.In this final episode of the series, Freddy shares examples of innovative financing approaches that are already being tested. These include microfinance platforms such as Kiva, university-backed impact funds, relationship-based lending, producer prepayment programs, and alternative ways of improving liquidity throughout the coffee supply chain.Lee and Freddy discuss how access to capital remains one of the greatest barriers facing coffee producers and small coffee businesses. They explore why interest rates matter, how financing costs affect every participant in the supply chain, and why access to affordable capital is often unevenly distributed throughout the industry.The conversation also examines the role that universities, investors, entrepreneurs, and coffee businesses can play in creating new pathways for financing coffee. Freddy shares practical examples from his own work and discusses how curiosity, experimentation, and relationship-building can help unlock solutions that benefit everyone involved in coffee.In this episode, we referenced https://www.kiva.org/Why this mattersThe future of coffee will require more than higher prices and better quality. It will require new ways of thinking about risk, capital, and prosperity. Businesses that understand financing and actively participate in strengthening their supply chains will be better positioned to navigate the challenges ahead.Connect with Freddy Rivard and his businesses here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericrivard/https://www.instagram.com/hondurancoffeealliance/https://www.hondurancoffeealliance.com/https://www.linkedin.com/company/insulacafe/If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains.***************************************About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.Website: https://mapitforward.coffeeMailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglistPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforwardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/Contact: [email protected]