It has always been the intent of Growers First to "give a hand up instead of a hand out."
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Twenty-five years ago our Founder and President, Dave Day met a remarkable man looking for work outside of the local hardware store. Dave was looking for a day laborer/ campesino to help him work on his home, and instead found someone who would awaken him to the plight of economic refugees. This gentleman named Lorenzo worked alongside Dave while sharing stories of his home land, and photos of his wife, and children that he hadn’t seen in years. Lorenzo was from a rural farming community in Oaxaca, Mexico where all of his family remained. The term campesino in English translates to farmer. This begged the question, what made this farmer leave his family and the land he loved? This husband and father shared that he parted with his family, and the land he called home in hopes to escape the debilitating lack of economic subsistence that wreaked havoc on his, and countless other families. The splintering of his family was the only perceivable hope to ensure his family’s very survival.
After connecting with Lorenzo, Dave jumped at the chance to experience Oaxaca on a coffee buying expedition. Dave’s passion for discovering and roasting exotic coffee led him to own his own green wholesale, and retail coffee roasting company for ten years. Oaxaca was a dream come true with lush rainforests where complex coffees were grown to the arid desert where the world’s best agave was cultivated. In spite of all the skill of these talented farmers and such an optimal agricultural environment an oppressive poverty was smothering the people of the region. Witnessing such senseless demoralization of these indigenous peoples was Dave’s call to action. The Oaxacan farmers did not use fertilizers or pesticides due to the added expense, and by all means were producing organic crops. Yet their lack of access to become certified to sell their crops as organic meant they were forced to earn far less. |
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Dave's first mission was to help these farmers become organic certified. This alone led to a 24% increase in their earnings. Next Dave went about bridging the disconnected indigenous farmers to the direct global market. Profound transformations began to take place in the farming families, and communities. Dave realized offering an economically sustainable way for the people of this region to remain united with their families and communities would now be his life’s mission. Dave sold his green coffee company to create Growers First and dedicate his life in service of indigenous farmers and their communities.
Today Growers First serves as an enduring pillar of hope, and sustainability. We continue to help indigenous farmers in becoming organic, and fair trade certified as well as having direct access to global commerce. We send skilled medical teams to Oaxaca annually to provide medical care to farmers and communities which otherwise would not receive medical care. We hold leadership summits for farming pastors of each community as they have become the backbones of their villages. We offer a six month intern program called Semillas. Semillas translates to seeds, and the Semillas program provides hands-on training, and education as well as mentorship to the enthusiastic youth of these villages. The Semillas intern program equips the next generation of indigenous leaders with the knowledge and skills to ensure their communities continue to thrive well into the future. We support and serve 300 indigenous family farmers per year with expanding operations in Honduras and Panama. Transforming villages into sustainable farming enterprises, with long-term socio-economic, and environmental conditions associated with healthy and thriving communities.
Today Growers First serves as an enduring pillar of hope, and sustainability. We continue to help indigenous farmers in becoming organic, and fair trade certified as well as having direct access to global commerce. We send skilled medical teams to Oaxaca annually to provide medical care to farmers and communities which otherwise would not receive medical care. We hold leadership summits for farming pastors of each community as they have become the backbones of their villages. We offer a six month intern program called Semillas. Semillas translates to seeds, and the Semillas program provides hands-on training, and education as well as mentorship to the enthusiastic youth of these villages. The Semillas intern program equips the next generation of indigenous leaders with the knowledge and skills to ensure their communities continue to thrive well into the future. We support and serve 300 indigenous family farmers per year with expanding operations in Honduras and Panama. Transforming villages into sustainable farming enterprises, with long-term socio-economic, and environmental conditions associated with healthy and thriving communities.
