WOLFVILLE, N.S. - Senior business student Sergio Garrido had never heard of fair trade coffee until he came to study at Acadia University in Wolfville.Coming from an entrepreneurial family, however, Garrido quickly saw there was a market here for the fine coffee produced by small farmers in his native Guatemala.
Beyond selling delicious coffee, he says, his goal is to help those who have a dream, but do not have the means to achieve it. Garrido believes that business should take an active role in supporting charity and helping others.
LayYong Tan of TAN Coffee, which has a number of cafés in the Valley and a roastery in Coldbrook, assisted Garrido in fulfilling his business plan by roasting the beans he exports.
“The coffee market is so big. What Sergio and I or other special micro roaster people do is not even two per cent of the total market,” Tan said.
“We should help each other to win over the consumer to try really good, organic coffee from small producers.”
He adds that an average farmer in Bolivia, for example, only makes about $300 a year.”
Garrido appreciates the custom roasting provided for Aroma Maya by the TAN roastery.
“I want to make it quite clear that they do not repackage TAN coffee,” he said. “It’s completely different. We have a different profile and tend to appeal to those who like a light or medium blend.”
Guatemala is one of the world’s top coffee producers, Garrido says. When he started Aroma Maya last April, he envisioned an online shop that sold top quality coffees from Guatemala. It has developed further already.
Garrido starts out every day with a shot of espresso himself. His strong love of coffee - particularly the high quality coffees of Guatemala - and a desire to help others through business helped create Aroma Maya.
Aroma Maya coffee is available at the Union Market in Acadia’s Student Union building. Garrido is also bringing in new backpacks from Guatemala made from coffee bags. They come from a family-owned business that creates custom-made products in the rural village of San Pedro. Garrido and his fiancée are also connecting with other Guatemalan producers.
Aroma Maya helps entrepreneurs in Guatemala achieve their goals with interest free micro-loans and five per cent of sales are donated to local food banks in Nova Scotia, with the hopes of raising this amount to 20 per cent in the near future, Garrido said.
A business administration student majoring in entrepreneurship and innovation, Garrido says he has long been an advocate of community service and a participant in charities, such as Acadia’s Rotaract Club and Manos de Amor (Hands of Love) in Guatemala.
Fez Restaurant in Wolfville now serves Aroma Maya coffee. It can be purchased at Pete’s in Wolfville and it is also being sold in Mahone Bay and Truro.
Editor's note: This article was originally published Oct. 4, 2014.