Choosing Not to Give Up
When the coffee plantation had reached its economic breaking point, a decision had to be made — one that went far beyond numbers and yields. The core team behind the finca at the time — Angelo Carbone, Ralf Höschler, and Jürgen Koch — made a conscious and unusual choice:
Not to give up.
Instead of laying off longtime plantation manager Félix Pérez and abandoning the project, they chose responsibility. Responsibility for the people, for continuity, and for a path beyond conventional economic thinking. From this mindset, the social project “Finca Fuente Vieja” was born.
The goal was to temporarily free the plantation from economic performance pressure and instead continue operating it purely as a social project.
The people in the village were meant to retain a sense of perspective despite the destruction of the coffee plantation — through work, stability, and dignity. Félix remained, serving as a constant presence and a link between the land, its history, and the community.
Donations That Make the Future Possible
Through fundraising and the deliberate transformation into a social initiative, the preservation of the plantation was secured. In Germany, the project became a way to explore an alternative to traditional Fair Trade structures — supported not by global corporations, but by committed German businesses willing to take responsibility. Directly, transparently, and with real impact.
This decision was not the easy path. It was driven by conviction — by the belief that a project does not end simply because it fails economically, and that true sustainability begins where people are not abandoned.
The decision not to give up became the turning point. It laid the foundation for everything Finca Fuente Vieja is today — and for everything that is still yet to grow.