We’re delighted to welcome Geovanny Martin Aguilar López to the Progreso team in Nicaragua! Geovanny joins us to support our partner organizations and help ensure our projects have meaningful, lasting impact.

Written by: Daan Mulder (Partnerships Manager) How role models and creativity engage young people in coffee and cocoa farming  In coffee and cocoa, as in any other sector, young people are essential for driving innovation and ensuring a sustainable future. Yet, the farming population is ageing, and many prefer urban jobs over agricultural livelihoods. While initiatives exist to improve access to finance and land, one fundamental challenge remains: making farming an attractive choice. To counter this, Progreso’s partners in Indonesia and Rwanda have found creative and inspiring ways to engage the next generation of coffee and cocoa farmers. A young management and a stacked trophy shelf  Recruiting new and talented members is one of the key strategies behind the success of Koperasi Rejo Mulyo, or Kojoyo, in Central Java. The cooperative organizes youth camps, local coffee shows, and green bean contests to involve young people in their communities. But perhaps

This October, coffee buyers from around the world have the chance to participate in an online auction featuring exceptional coffees from Peru and Colombia from cooperatives supported by the Progreso Foundation. On October 28 and 29, 2025, registered participants can bid on lots curated by 3 producer organizations:  Organized by Progreso and Beyco, with the support of V-Auction, the auction runs for two days and offers buyers the opportunity to bid directly on lots from producers. The auction offers a unique way for producers to showcase their coffees to a global audience and for buyers to discover new sourcing opportunities. It’s a space to explore a variety of coffee profiles, connect with previously unknown producer organizations, and potentially establish long-term partnerships.  Beyond the cups themselves, the event highlights the people and communities behind the coffees. By bringing buyers and producers together in one platform, the auction opens doors to new

This month marked an important milestone for the coffee sector and for Beyco. Busongora Coffee in Uganda and Val & Tin Coffee Gardens in Switzerland have signed a purchase contract on our platform. At first glance, it may appear to be just another trade agreement, but in reality, it is so much more! The contract demonstrates how farmer organizations and buyers can already meet the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Thanks to the Beyco farmer platform, the agreement includes geo-data traceability down to the level of individual plots and households, ensuring that the coffee can be traced back to its exact origin. At the same time, financial and value chain data were exported directly from the platform, giving all actors insight into the numbers behind the trade. Even the financing conditions were made visible, clearly showing who funded the contract and under what terms. By bringing all

We are delighted to welcome An Ha, who started on August 18th as our new Managing Director. To get to know her better, she shares a bit about the path that brought her to Progreso, her vision for working with farmer cooperatives, and what excites her most about stepping into this role. When An looks back at the path that led her to Progreso, she describes it as a journey that has always circled back to the same place: close to the farmer. After studying development economics, her career began at Rabo Foundation, continued at Rabobank and later took her to Solidaridad. While these roles gave her valuable insights into development finance and sustainability, she felt a strong pull to work more directly with farmers and their cooperatives. Through Iris van der Velden, a member of Progreso’s Supervisory Board, An was introduced to the role of Managing Director. The moment she learned

Of course, we couldn’t let this moment pass without sitting down with Natan YAO himself—after all, he’s not new to Progreso, but he is stepping into a new and exciting role. With nearly 15 years of experience in the cocoa sector, Natan’s journey began as an agronomist with a local firm, where he was in charge of some of the first UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certification assessments. His growing interest in cooperative development led him to join the HRNS Foundation (Hanns Neumann Stiftung, Germany), where he worked as a capacity-building manager for cocoa producer organizations. There, he focused on identifying training needs, designing tailored modules, and delivering capacity-building programs for cooperatives. In 2018, Natan’s path first crossed with Progreso, when he began supporting us in several activities while still with HRNS. Between 2018 and 2021, he served as Progreso’s main point of contact in Côte d’Ivoire. His official journey with

We are pleased to welcome Ayub as Progreso’s new Program Manager for East Africa. Ayub is a development professional with over 10 years of experience in agriculture, cooperative development, and access to finance. With a background in accounting and a strong commitment to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, he has focused his career on designing and managing programs that strengthen rural enterprises, promote inclusive market systems, and support sustainable development, especially in the coffee and cocoa sectors. Throughout his career, Ayub has led donor-funded initiatives, built strategic partnerships, and supported cooperatives to become more resilient, market-ready, and financially sustainable. He is driven by collaboration, innovation, and hands-on engagement with communities to achieve lasting impact. What attracted Ayub to Progreso is its clear commitment to sustainable and inclusive agricultural development, practical support to cooperatives, and innovative use of digital tools like Beyco. Having worked with Progreso on regional programs in

With great sadness, Progreso says goodbye to Angel Mario: a warm personality, a natural connector, and a dear colleague and friend. Angel Mario was involved from the early days of Stichting Green Development, the predecessor of Stichting Progreso, where he grew into an indispensable force within the network. As our Supervisory Board member Huub Keulen recalls: “He was happy with his job, happy with the team and happy with Amsterdam, where he had found his place. His positivity and thoughtfulness left a lasting impression on everyone.” Supervisory Board member Minke van Rees remembers how they grew together in their work: “We grew together in our work. Both of us eventually even in a director’s position. This wasn’t even a specific goal or ambition for either of us, as long as we could have impact.” And impact, he certainly had. Huub adds: “Angel Mario gave a lot, but also got a

It’s not easy to say goodbye to someone who’s made such a lasting impact in a short time. After these past few years of her time at Progreso, we’ve said farewell to our Managing Director, Anneke Goede. And while her departure leaves us a little nostalgic, we mostly feel proud and grateful for her leadership, her care, and everything we’ve built together during her time at Progreso.