Diego Méndez

Colombian social entrepreneur transforming coca farming communities through sustainable coffee cooperatives

Diego Méndez is a former coca farmer turned social entrepreneur who founded FairCrops Colombia, a cooperative converting 80% of coca plantations in the Amazonas region to organic coffee farms. His 2020 initiative provides technical training and microloans to over 3,000 families, ensuring fair trade prices while protecting rainforest biodiversity. Méndez developed a Peace Coffee certification program that guarantees 60% of profits return to farming communities.

His Coca-to-Coffee Transition Model uses blockchain technology to track supply chains, which has been adopted by Starbucks and Nespresso. Méndez' partnership with WWF established Rainforest Shield, reforesting 500km² of degraded land with native species. In 2023, he launched CoffeeSHED, a platform connecting consumers with farmers via augmented reality experiences showing farm conditions.

His TED Talk Brewing Peace in Colombia's Jungles (2022) went viral with 2.3 million views. Méndez' work reduced cocaine production in his region by 89% while increasing household incomes by 400%. He recently advised the Colombian government's National Agroforestry Plan, which aims to convert 2 million hectares to sustainable crops by 2025.