Sucafina Guatemala Launches: Encouraging Local Collaboration

Friday, 12 April, 2024

Sucafina, a leading sustainable Farm to Roaster coffee company globally, is pleased to announce the opening of Sucafina Guatemala. 

“Sucafina Guatemala will benefit the supply chain at large by fostering an environment of local collaboration, saving local jobs, and maintaining existing trade flows,” said Jordan Hooper, Head of Green Coffee Trading at Sucafina. “The business model will be asset light and focused on producer outreach, quality improvement, and engagement with other local players. It takes a community, and ours will be strong.”

Over the past few years, businesses throughout the green coffee supply chain have been adversely affected by the unprecedented market conditions. Difficulties in production and demand shifts to more cost-effective origins have impacted Central America in particular. Many exporters in the region have withdrawn or have been forced to close.

“What’s best for local communities has always informed our sourcing strategies,” Hooper explained. “In Africa, our hard asset investments have helped transform commercial production into higher quality grades. In Central America, on the other hand, our approach has been to work outside-in to empower local enterprises rather than trying to compete over shrinking production. But recent market conditions and business challenges have changed the equation. There’s now clear value to be added by being local.”

The launch of Sucafina Guatemala strengthens Sucafina’s commitment to sourcing and delivering the full spectrum of qualities across all geographies through operational efficiencies, knowledge sharing, and one-stop-shop convenience for suppliers and customers alike. It also supports Sucafina’s purpose to create opportunities to improve lives.

Sucafina Guatemala will be led by Carlos Ordoñez, who has been appointed as Managing Director. Ordoñez has more than 25 years of coffee supply chain experience, all spent in sourcing and export in his native Guatemala. His knowledge and relationships will provide the foundation for a strategy that focuses on supply chain management and long-term investment over opportunism and transaction.

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