Celebrating 15 Years of Dedicated Development
Explore to learn about Aldea Development and their accomplishments over the past 15 years, and learn how you can support them today.
news coverage of the fundraising campaign
"Taking the Plunge: Aldea Coffee's Chilly Fundraiser for Honduran Farmers"
"15 YEARS | Nonprofit celebrates anniversary with Grand Haven polar plunge"
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Meade
Introduction to Aldea Development
- Since 2009, Aldea Development (A.D.) has served La Union, Lempira, Honduras, providing agricultural-based microloans, training, and pathways for farmers seeking access to the specialty coffee market.
- A.D. has established long-term relationships with producers that provides them with sustainable and stable incomes year in and year out, going far beyond the traditional direct trade relationship in the coffee industry
- A.D. built a centralized coffee processing center (called a beneficio) in La Union, offering equipment, infrastructure, and educational opportunities to help local producers prepare their green coffee for the specialty market.
- In partnership with its sister entity, Aldea Coffee, Aldea as a whole is genuinely a seed-to-cup coffee organization, focused on empowerment and fair wages from La Union, Honduras and all the way to the roastery and cafes in West Michigan.
- Aldea also serves as a resource and guide for groups and partnerships seeking to impact the region through health and education.
The municipality of La Union is located in western Honduras in the Lempira Department. It is a mountainous region and one of the most agricultural areas of Honduras. It has a rich indigenous history. The livelihood of most people in the region is connected to the coffee industry.
Meet the aldea development team
President & Operations Manager
Director of Coffee Quality & Training, and Director of Coffee Purchasing
Director of Microloan Program & Warehouse Operations
Director Of Producer Communication & Coffee Purchasing Coordinator
15 year anniversary
Accomplishments of the Organization
2024 marks the 15th anniversary of Aldea Development.
Here are a few of the things that the organization has accomplished:
- Purchased over 500,000 pounds of specialty coffee from La Union, Honduras, all at 50-100% above Fair Trade prices
- Distributed over 1,600 microloans, with a repayment rate over 98%
- Led over 40 groups in partnership with villages (aldeas) in Honduras to benefit communities with infrastructure projects
- With 4 full-time employees, we have accumulated over 50 years of experience and expertise in the world of economic development
- More than 100 free agricultural trainings for farmers in the regions conducted by the expert staff of Aldea Development and its partners
- Created a processing facility that has served dozens of farmers, teaching them to process specialty coffee, resulting in higher incomes for their families
15th Anniversary blend
In commemoration of 15 years, Aldea has designed a limited edition coffee blend & bag.
The coffee blend was crafted by Aldea Coffee roasters Scott Dorsch and Ames Goldman. In celebration of the 15th Anniversary of our nonprofit, Aldea Development, we created a blend that showcases and honors the remarkable work of A.D. and the coffee farmers of La Unión that make all of this possible.
donation goal & how to donate
$100,000 by the end of 2025.
After 15 years, Aldea Development is looking to the next 15 years. As part of this effort, A.D. is seeking to raise $100,000.
Funds raised will support the following:
- Improvements to the beneficio
- Strengthening the microloan program
- Support the A.D. staff (four full-time employees)
- Help with a revolving purchase fund for green coffee
Types of donations you can make:
- One-time donations both big and small
- Recurring donations
- Business sponsorships*
- Retirement fund recurring distributions*
*For these types of donations, please reach out via email at Partner@aldeacoffee.com, or fill out the form below.
donation related inquiry form
Aldea Development is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
It was established in November 2009 as Unión MicroFinanza with a microfinance focus. The original vision of the founders was to create a microfinance organization supporting small-scale farmers. However, they soon realized that the true vision was community development.
Microfinance is a tool to support communities, but it cannot on its own achieve complete community growth. Toward this goal, we've added programs based on the visions that our clients had for their families and communities. In 2014 we changed our name to Aldea Development (which literally means Community Development) to better reflect our vision. What has remained the same since 2009 is our commitment to community-driven development.