It's all about people...
Of course we opt for the best coffee and tea.
Wonderful to stimulate those taste buds.
But it will be so much better if our projects can also help people move forward...
We have always been convinced that sustainable entrepreneurship is not a buzzword, but a way of working. And that this way mainly starts with collaboration.
Sometimes sustainability starts with a small idea — and ends with something bigger than yourself. At Viva Sara we try to work more consciously every day: with respect for nature, for the farmers, and for everyone who participates in that one moment when you drink your cup of coffee or tea. In recent years we have been able to support several great projects. In Honduras, we helped finance drying beds — a small intervention with a big impact on the quality of the coffee and the income of farmers. In Brazil, we started working on Women in Coffee, an initiative that gives women in the coffee world more opportunities. And in Guatemala, we worked with local producers to make their villages stronger and more sustainable.
And now... we have also grown a bit in Malawi.
500 trees, 47 families and a whole lot of hope
Our coffee and tea partner, Satemwa, told us about a new reforestation project that helps local farmers plant trees that are not only good for the earth, but also for their future.
We decided to join in — by financing 500 trees. It may sound simple: plant trees. But those trees do so much more than that. They bring shade, moisture, fertility and new life. They protect the soil, help prevent erosion, and ensure that families can earn extra income by selling wood or fruit. And what we like best: some farmers who participated in this project in previous years are already seeing results. ;Some of them sold their first eucalyptus poles this year and used the money to pay their children's school fees. That's what sustainability is about for us — not about numbers or certificates, but about real people and real progress.
Why we do this? At Viva Sara we work every day with partners who, like us, believe in long-term relationships and real responsibility. We want to know where our coffee and tea comes from, who grows them, and how we can help make that story stronger.
We do this step by step, project after project. Sometimes with drying beds, sometimes with training, sometimes with trees. Always with the same goal: growing together, in a way that is good for people, the environment and taste. Together for tomorrow. We look back with pride on what has already been achieved, but above all with enthusiasm for moving forward. Because sustainability never stops — it grows, just like those 500 trees in Malawi.
Check out some images of the project below — 500 trees that symbolize hope, cooperation and the future. Thank you to all our partners, employees and customers who make initiatives like this possible. Every bag of Viva Sara coffee or tea helps continue writing this story.
Projects Viva Sara
Viva Sara finances drying beds on a family plantation in Honduras
Rony Dario Alba Vega grew up in Atima, Honduras. Together with his father Mardoquin (nickname Quin), he set up a coffee plantation there. He also met Annelies, a Flemish woman whom he would later marry and move to Belgium. Then fate overtakes him and father Quin dies. Since then, Rony has been running the plantation together with his uncle. They invest in the plantation by, among other things, purchasing a pick-up that takes the workers to the plantation or by building a house on the plantation where they can spend the night during busy times. But they are also installing additional drying beds, so that the coffee processing can now take place entirely on the domain itself. Viva Sara believes in the beautiful project and therefore decided to financially support the construction of the extra drying beds.
Art auction for charity
She doesn't like to show it off herself, but mother Catherine is very happy to work for a good cause behind the scenes. For example, she has been organizing an art auction for charity for years. It's not just some craft work that should generate money. Anyone who knows Catherine's drive knows that she does not do half work. And so she goes after the great artists of our Flemish country with the request to create a work around a central theme. Wim Opbrouck, Michael Borremans, Koen Vanmechelen or Arne Quinze; None of them could resist Catherine's request... In recent years, it has already raised a significant amount of money for projects that fully benefit vulnerable Kortrijk children who have fewer opportunities than we do. For example, the funds were used to purchase laptops for underprivileged children during Corona times, financial interventions were arranged for dental care, etc.
Spearmint from Malawi
When Peter visited several tea plantations in Malawi, Africa, he also met a farmer who had recently switched to growing peppermint. After several disappointing harvests for him and his family, he preferred to be less dependent on the weather. When Peter promised him to buy his entire harvest every year after tasting his herbs, the man couldn't believe his luck. It provided him with job and income security for the following years...
