Our Story
how it all began...
"Aldea", Spanish for village or community, began as a nonprofit in 2009. Focused on supporting small-scale farmers through microfinancing in La Union, Lempira, Honduras, Aldea Developmentwas started by a small group of dedicated individuals (Andrew, Patrick, Mike, Bret, Dan, Charlie and Jeremy), seeking to make an impact on the world.
After settling in the community of La Union, this group took on a few hundred microloan clients- primarily coffee, corn, and bean farmers. They listened and learned about the obstacles farmers faced to find sustainable growth and stability as small lot farmers in La Union. It soon became clear that coffee—the primary cash crop of Honduras—was the key to best supporting the community.
Aldea Coffee was started in 2015 to provide a consistent outlet for all that coffee. Now, almost ten years later, with the opening of two cafes, a solar-powered micro-roastery, and a B Corp Certification, Aldea Coffee is the main outlet for the annual harvest of specialty coffee for the producers of La Union.
Aldea Development just celebrated its 15th anniversary. We have a full-time staff of 4 who live year-round in La Union, Honduras, working to provide specialty coffee processing education, microloans, and community development projects. They also purchase and export green coffee from the area, to provide specialty coffee market access and financial empowerment to local coffee farmers.