BUV Empowers Coffee Producers in Honduras

September 11th, 2026 Newsletter

Many of us are avid coffee drinkers. We look forward to starting the morning with a warm mug of coffee or enjoying a mid-afternoon iced coffee pick-me-up. But how often do we think about where our coffee comes from?

Where do the beans grow? Who picks them, washes and dries them, and prepares them for the long journey to become the coffee so many of us love?

Coffee goes through a long process before it reaches our mug. After the coffee cherry is harvested and washed, the bean is dried, milled, packaged, and eventually sent to a coffee-roasting company. That process requires equipment, transportation, and a lot of hard work.

For small-farm coffee producers in developing countries, having access to the resources they need can be a significant challenge. That's why many small farmers work through coffee cooperatives. By pooling their resources, farmers can share facilities, equipment, and supplies that would be difficult or impossible to afford individually.

Combrifol is a coffee cooperative in La Nahuaterique, Honduras, that benefits more than 200 coffee producers. The cooperative supports coffee production and management, creating opportunities and making it possible for local farmers to make a living from their work.

A large number of the coffee producers are women, many of whom are part of the Lenca Indigenous population. Most of the producers live in poverty.

Being part of the cooperative means more than a better livelihood for individual families. Proceeds from coffee sales also support infrastructure projects in the community. The cooperative works to empower women and advocate for women's rights, including programs specifically supporting single mothers.

So, where does Midwest Mission come in?

Last Giving Tuesday, you helped us purchase two Basic Utility Vehicles (BUVs) to send to communities in need of machinery for agriculture and transportation.

BUVs are built to empower micro businesses around the world. They offer the load capacity and durability of a 4x4 pickup, can travel on bumpy dirt roads, and can operate in the field, pulling equipment such as a planter or cultivator.

When we shared the opportunity with our partner, Food For The Poor, they immediately thought of the Combrifol Cooperative.

The entire cooperative had only one vehicle at its disposal—for more than 200 producers.

That meant farmers had limited access to transportation and faced challenges moving coffee between the different stages of production. One vehicle simply wasn't enough to keep everything moving efficiently.

The BUV is changing that.

With another vehicle available, Combrifol can move more coffee, increase production, and ultimately sell more coffee. That means more support for the families who depend on their work, and more resources for the community they call home.

This is especially important in La Nahuaterique, an area suffering from extreme poverty and a lack of infrastructure. According to Cafe Libertad, a coffee company that has written about the cooperative, "the government generally neglects the region to this day, and there is nearly no public infrastructure." Access to basic necessities such as water, electricity, education, and medical care can require extensive travel, often on foot.

The BUV gives producers a reliable way to navigate the rural roads and keep their work moving.

Cepudo, our partner in Honduras who connected the donation with the cooperative, shared:

"For the producers, many of them women, this donation represents time, effort, and new opportunities to continue working. Each transfer they can now make more easily reminds them that there are people and organizations who believe in their work and in the development of their communities.

The Combrifol producers express their deep gratitude to all the donors who made this donation possible, and especially to Midwest Mission, for providing them with a tool that is making a real difference in their work."

Thank you to everyone who gave toward our 2025 Giving Tuesday Campaign. Because of you, more than 200 coffee producers have greater opportunities to do their work, support their families, and contribute to the future of their communities.