NEW YORK | FEB 23, 2021 – The National Coffee Association (NCA) is proud to name Root Capital, Inc. as the recipient of the 2021 NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award, sponsored by Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee, in recognition of Root Capital’s innovative and impactful work to help smallholder coffee farmers thrive.
Root Capital invests in the growth of agricultural enterprises that support smallholder farmers, seeking out businesses whose credit needs are too big for microfinance and too small or risky for commercial banks. Root Capital loans range from $200,000 to $2 million and are specially tailored to coffee farmers’ unique harvest and sales cycles. Root Capital also provides customized training to strengthen enterprises’ financial management skills and agronomic capacity.
NCA President and CEO William “Bill” Murray commented: “There is no coffee industry without thriving coffee farmers. Root Capital is a shining example of how everyone in the coffee community can work to support coffee growing communities including by providing tools and services that help smallholder farmers sustain their families and their businesses.”
Willy Foote, founder and CEO of Root Capital commented: “I founded Root Capital to help small agricultural businesses around the world acquire the capital, training, and access to markets they need to grow. On behalf of the entire Root Capital team, I thank NCA for this recognition of our work. We look forward to continuing to partner across the coffee industry to create lasting transformation for the farmers we all rely on.”
NCA is also recognizing Enveritas Inc. and Strategies for International Development (SID) as Origin Charity of the Year finalists, for their work in supporting global environmental sustainability and helping farmers across the globe build successful businesses that increase their income respectively.
The NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award will be presented March 3 at coffee’s premier virtual event, the NCA 2021 Virtual Convention. Watch Willy Foote’s acceptance speech on behalf of Root Capital below.
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About Root Capital Inc.
Founded in 1999 by Willy Foote, Root Capital works in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia. They supply agricultural businesses with financial capital and training to help them grow. They have worked with more than 700 clients, representing 2.3 million farmers and their families and $4.6 billion in economic activity, all in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
About the NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award
Now in its fourth year, the NCA Origin Charity of the Year Award recognizes charitable organizations that have made a positive impact on coffee-growing communities while demonstrating strategic, innovative, and implementation excellence. Past winners of the Origin Charity of the Year Award include TechnoServe (2020 winner), The Coffee Trust (2019 winner) and Grounds for Health (2018 winner). Charities do not have to be members of the NCA to be eligible. Winners are chosen by an independent group of NCA Directors who are not affiliated with the Award’s gracious sponsor, Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee. For more information about the Award and the Coffee Gives Back Program, click here.
For further information, contact media@ncausa.org or Kristin Williams, Root Capital, kwilliams@rootcapital.org