The Coffee Trust was established in 2008 by Bill Fishbein. With 20 years of non-profit experience in international development with coffee-growing communities all around Central America, Bill wanted to take what he had learned and apply it to a single community. The hope was that by working on a small scale, with one community, real change could be evoked. San Gaspar Chajul, El Quiché was the first community chosen as it is one of the most impoverished coffee-growing communities in the world.
650 million people live in extreme poverty. We cannot solve this challenge alone. We work with incredible partners at different levels to help women lift themselves out of poverty. Our programs aim to reach the most marginalized communities, such as women, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities and internally displaced people. Our participants are the ones with the ideas and determination to end extreme poverty. Our approach allows us to partner with women starting their own microenterprises and improve financial inclusion.