Summary

In reflecting on the past year, we have continued to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape. Ongoing climate shocks, volatile market conditions, and fluctuating interest rates have placed pressure on small producers and artisans. Yet through it all, our mission remains unchanged: to enable people to trade their way out of poverty by providing fair finance where it is needed most.

Our loyal members remain at the centre of everything we do. Share Capital of £50.5m provides a strong financial base to support lending activities. The loyalty of our 9,910 members, with an average account duration of 18 years, demonstrates the trust placed in us to use their investment to create lasting change for farmers and artisans around the world. Our work continues to align closely with the SDGs, particularly those focused on poverty reduction, gender equality, decent work, and partnerships.

• Goal 1 – No poverty: Through our finance, we supported 397,379 people across 42 countries, enabling producer groups to achieve greater economic security.
• Goal 5 – Gender equality: Women continue to play an essential role across our portfolio, representing 32% of those reached.
• Goal 8 – Decent work and economic growth: The organisations we finance employ 7,900 permanent workers, of whom 43% are women, creating opportunities for fair employment and skills development.
• Goal 17 – Partnerships for the goals: Collaboration remains at the heart of our approach, strengthening our ability to address the complex challenges faced by our customers.

We disbursed £57.95m in finance to 165 organisations. Most of our lending supports producer organisations directly, while buyer credit ensures producers receive timely payment for their crops. Coffee and cocoa continue to represent the largest share of our portfolio, accounting for 54% and 32% of total lending respectively, alongside continued support for honey, fruit, sugar, and handcrafts. Importantly, 79% of our customers operate facilities under £500k, highlighting our commitment to smaller enterprises.

Climate change remains one of the greatest challenges facing the communities we support. Prolonged droughts, rising temperatures and crop disease continue to disrupt agricultural production. The postponement of the EUDR enforcement has provided additional time for producers to strengthen traceability systems. Through both our lending and technical assistance, we are helping producers to trade, build financial resilience and adopt climate-smart and regenerative practices.

Alongside our lending, we continue to deliver vital projects that strengthen enterprise development and climate resilience. Over the past year, the Foundation implemented 14 projects across Africa and Latin America, enabling producers to build the skills and capacity needed for sustainable growth. These projects have established six new enterprises, providing a source of income to 817 farmers (74% women). In addition, 916 women received training in agro-processing, business management, and Climate Smart Agriculture, while 108 young people were supported to establish cocoa and coffee farms. Reforestation and agroforestry efforts have continued, with 107,200 trees planted to restore degraded land and strengthen biodiversity.

Partnership continues to be a cornerstone of our impact. This year, we strengthened our collaboration with organisations such as SSNUP, working together to design technical assistance projects that align with our customers’ needs. These partnerships extend the reach of our work, bringing together expertise in finance, training, and sustainability to maximise positive outcomes for producer organisations.

As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our purpose. The challenges of global trade, climate instability, and economic inequality are significant, but so too is our resolve. The social impact demonstrated in this report,  achieved with the support of our members, team, volunteers, partners and donors, demonstrates what can be accomplished through shared effort and a commitment to fairness.

We will continue to evolve and strengthen our approach, ensuring that our work remains grounded in partnership and purpose. Together, we are building on thirty-five years of experience to create a more equitable and sustainable future.

Click here to read the full Social Accounts document.