Café Liga Masiva: This Is Why I Started a Blog!

I started this blog so that I could share the great stories I have been encountering recently. Right now, I need to tell you the story of Liga Masiva coffee and why I think their work is so important.

I started getting this coffee shipped to me last fall. I had read about the start-up on a list of gifts-with-a-purpose somewhere and decided to give it a try. For about the same price I would be paying in a store for good coffee, I would get a bag of fresh-roasted, organic, direct-trade Dominican coffee mailed to me monthly with the promise that I'd be brewing "a cup of coffee that's changing the world." How, you might ask, is Liga Masiva accomplishing that? By bypassing commodity markets, giving a fair price to farmers in the Dominican Republic and selling directly to US consumers.
I read through the website and was really impressed by the story behind the company as well as its model and, above all else, its message. Liga Masiva was founded by an American woman, Emily Kerr, who had spent years working in the Dominican Republic with farmers. She saw the problems caused by coffee prices that rose and fell unpredictably, as well as how much the farmers lost because their coffee passed through so many hands, each exchange skimming a portion of the end-price consumers were willing to pay.
The solution she created is completely centered around the power of people and connections (and great coffee). Liga Masiva works directly with small-holder organic farmers, so they can make well-founded claims about the origin and quality of their coffee (which is fantastic). They sell directly to their customers, so they can communicate the effect their purchases make: Liga Masiva farmers are making 168% more this year than they did last, and the company has just started its work. They educate the farmers on pricing and supply chain, and they make long-term buying commitments. In all of this, I see Liga Masiva's commitment to balancing the power in the relationships that farmers have with buyers.
There are many reactions to the plight of small-holder farmers that I respect, but this particular one moved me. Liga Masiva represents a belief in the power of connecting people that is strong enough to be the foundation for a whole company. Liga Masiva truly trusts that people care enough about others to buy this coffee instead of going to the grocery store. This idea is really important to me, so I signed up for a monthly shipment. The first bag arrived with a guide, featuring brewing tips and facts about the coffee printed on cardboard coasters and a tag that read, "The better we all do, the better we all do." I was hooked.
When I signed up, I was a grad student without an income, but I needed to vote for the values Liga Masiva represents and the work they are doing. I couldn't do much, but I could buy a bag a month and share the occasional link on Facebook and Twitter. From working at a non-profit theater, I knew that the subscribers are the ones who believe in the mission, so I wanted to show my support. (And once I tried the coffee, I just wanted to keep drinking it. It is seriously good coffee.)
Then yesterday, a brown envelope arrived in the mail from a New York address I didn't recognize. It was a hand-written note from Emily, thanking me for being a subscriber. That, right there, is the kind of connecting that drives Liga Masiva. Job or no job, I will continue to vote for it.
[She also included $5 discount cards for people I think are awesome. Let me know if you want to try this great coffee.]