EP 1037 Part 2 of 5 | The Complexity Behind Coffee Finance (Freddy Rivard) | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
This is episode 2 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest in this series is Freddy Rivard, Co-Founder of Honduran Coffee Alliance and Insula Coffee. Throughout this series, we explore how financing works in coffee and why understanding liquidity, risk, and value chain relationships is critical to building a more resilient coffee industry.
If financing coffee were as simple as borrowing money and buying coffee, the industry would face far fewer challenges. The reality is that coffee financing sits at the intersection of agriculture, logistics, international trade, commodity markets, currencies, risk management, and business operations.
In this episode, Lee and Freddy unpack why financing coffee is far more complicated than most people realize. They explore the multiple layers of risk that exist throughout the coffee value chain and discuss why producers, exporters, importers, and roasters all experience risk differently.
The conversation examines how coffee moves through global markets, why financing decisions often involve navigating uncertainty months before coffee is delivered, and how changing market conditions can dramatically impact businesses throughout the supply chain. Freddy also explains how different financing structures evolve as coffee moves from producers to consumers and why understanding those structures is essential for making informed business decisions.
Together, they challenge the assumption that coffee financing is simply a back-office function and instead present it as a critical part of building resilient coffee businesses.
Why this matters
Coffee businesses are operating in an increasingly volatile environment. Rising costs, climate pressures, changing consumer behavior, and supply chain disruptions all increase the importance of understanding risk. The more coffee professionals understand the financial systems that support coffee trade, the better equipped they will be to make strategic decisions that protect their businesses and their supply chains.
Connect with Freddy Rivard and his businesses here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredericrivard/
https://www.instagram.com/hondurancoffeealliance/