R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund announced that the fund has joined Beneficial Returns, an impact investment manager, in an investment improving the livelihoods of small-holder coffee farmers in Guatemala. R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund is participating in the loan that Beneficial Returns has extended to La Federación Comercializadora de Café Especial de Guatemala (FECCEG).

FECCEG is a federation of 17 associations and cooperatives of farmers in Guatemala established in 2006 to help small coffee producers to overcome price fluctuations and the risks of the international coffee market. FECCEG provides resources, training, and technical assistance for the organic production of specialty coffee to its members. It distributes the organic and fair trade certified coffee produced by the farmers internationally at a premium.

The federation works with 1,550 member farmers in nine departments of Guatemala: Chimaltenango, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Sololá, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Suchitepéquez, Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz. 85% of these farmers belong to five different Mayan indigenous groups: Mam, K’iche, Ixil, Kaqchikel, Q’echi’, Q’eqchi’, Achí and Poqomchi’. More than 30% of the member farmers are women.

FECCEG mills and sells the coffee of its members to distributors in Guatemala, the United States and Europe. Through this federation of cooperatives, farmers capture more value from their crop and are empowered to decide on the federation’s direction. The general assembly of its member farmers has the final say on FECCEG strategies and policies.

FECCEG provides advance payments to coffee producers two to three months before the harvest. These funds allow farmers to pay for labor, inputs, and equipment maintenance during the months when they are most cash strapped. The working capital loan from Beneficial Returns enables these advance payments by FECCEG to the farmers and it has been structured to enable the repayment of principal as FECCEG collects future customer payments for its coffee sales.

Beneficial Returns manages impact investment funds that support the growth of social enterprises alleviating poverty and protecting the natural environment in Latin America and Southeast Asia. To date, Beneficial Returns has lent more than $13.03 million of impact capital to social enterprises that use market-based solutions to reduce poverty and protect the environment.

Ted Levinson, Founder and CEO of Beneficial Returns, expressed the need for appropriate forms of impact capital in supporting social enterprises. “We believe debt investing is the most suitable form of investment for most social enterprises,” he said. “Although they do not have the prospect of an IPO or big dividends, successful social enterprises can repay loans while growing their enterprises and their impact.”

An initiative of Sprout Enterprise®, the R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund invests in artisan enterprises creating sustainable livelihoods for rural communities with few economic alternatives. Women’s empowerment, sustainability and clean energy innovation are key investment themes of the fund.

Named as one of the Transformative 25 Funds in 2022 and 2021, R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund has been recognized by Integrated Capital Investing for transforming finance to benefit people and the planet.

For more information, please contact Ellen Fish at [email protected] or visit:

FECCEG www.fecceg.com

Beneficial Returns www.beneficialreturns.com

R.I.S.E. Artisan Fund www.riseartisan.fund

Sprout Enterprise® www.sproutenterprise.net