Bell Lane joins forces with Mexican farmers

The Mullingar firm Bell Lane Coffee has entered a partnership with Union San Pedro, a cooperative in the Sierra Sur region of Oaxaca, Mexico that is using coffee production as a means to combat poverty.

The collaboration, a year in the making, will see Bell Lane Coffee help the collective by paying for its crop up front, allowing Union San Pedro to provide training, better pricing, and sustainable farming support. The collective is also experimenting in small farms known as parcelas to improve yields.

In Sierra Sur, 60-80% of people live in poverty. With limited access to stable employment and long-term financial security, economic hardships have forced many to migrate.

Union San Pedro, a cooperative of eight sub-associations and 180 individual coffee producers, is working to break this cycle of poverty.

As a Certified B Corp, Bell Lane Coffee is committed to ethical sourcing. “When we talk about ethical sourcing, we mean working with producers who are driving real change in their communities,” said Denise Bell, co-founder at Bell Lane Coffee.

“Union San Pedro is an example of how coffee can be a force for good. By supporting this cooperative, we’re helping to create opportunities for farmers to thrive in Oaxaca.”