Victor Catavi

Victor Catavi is a current client of As Green As It Gets, one of Spartan Global's longstanding field partners in Guatemala. To provide for his family, Victor has specialized in coffee processing and roasting in his local community. Victor's coffee history is atypical. As Green As It Gets usually only works with coffee farmers who have established fields of coffee crops to then train them on various milling and roasting methods. Seeing the potential opportunity in working with As Green As It Gets, Victor went ahead and planted his own coffee in order to join the program. With the help of As Green As It Gets, Victor has been able to learn different coffee processing and roasting skills.

With the backing of sponsors, Spartan Global was able to extend a $1,300 loan in collaboration with As Green As It Gets to help Victor take his coffee roasting business to the next level in October 2016. This capital investment allowed him to purchase a pulpero - a machine that helps crush coffee beans during the early stages of processing. At the same time, another donor from Canada lent Victor the necessary money to purchase a coffee roaster. Victor has since been able to generate profits worth over 240% the value of his loan from Spartan Global, as the pulpero and coffee roaster has allowed him to expand his product offerings. Ultimately, this investment in his business has allowed his coffee sales to increase exponentially.

When Spartan Global visited Victor in December 2017, we were able to see Victor's business firsthand. We spent an entire day learning to roast, package, and sell coffee with Victor. It was a surreal experience to have the opportunity to network in-person with a loan recipient. What is more, while we were in Guatemala, Victor surprised us by repaying his loan six months in advance! This is a true testament to how well Victor has been doing since receiving a microloan from Spartan Global. Moving forward, SGDF will use these repaid funds to support additional entrepreneurs. 

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These recent loans have been made possible through the generous support of our 2017-2018 Sponsors. If you are inspired by these stories and our work, please consider donating to Spartan Global. Your generous contributions allow us to continue supporting aspiring entrepreneurs throughout developing regions in the world.