In rural communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America, meaningful progress often begins quietly. A coffee processor stays open during a difficult season. A farmer earns a fairer price for her crop. A small enterprise secures the capital it needs to upgrade its processing facilities. These moments shaped Ground Up Investing’s impact last year and show how early investment helps families build steadier incomes and stronger futures.
Ground Up Investing, Corus International’s impact investing arm, was launched in 2017 after teams saw the same challenge across regions. Local agrifood businesses had strong leadership and clear potential but could not access the patient capital needed to grow. Ground Up Investing was launched to fill that gap by backing entrepreneurs early and giving them room to build resilient, community-rooted enterprises.
Eight years later, the impact is clear. Ground Up Investing has deployed over $5.4 million into 15 enterprises in communities where agriculture is central to daily life. Since its launch, the companies that Ground Up Investing supports have reached more than 22,000 farmers, created 800 jobs and improved management across 44,000 hectares of land. Last year alone, farmers earned $10.9 million through their private enterprises. Since 2017, they have earned more than $35 million in total. These results reflect more reliable incomes for families and stronger businesses that can weather uncertainty.
Looking back at a year of challenge and progress
Last year brought sharp price swings and tighter financing for agrifood businesses. Even well-run enterprises felt the pressure as global trends affected local markets. Ground Up Investing responded by strengthening support for existing partners and staying focused on the potential of rural entrepreneurs.
The portfolio continued to reach more farmers, and average earnings increased. This is the cascading impact model in practice. When local enterprises grow, their success moves outward to the farmers and workers who depend on them.
Coffee farmers from Mountain Harvest carry drums of cherries to a pulping station in Makaali, Uganda.
Meeting a core barrier: working capital
Reliable working capital remained one of the clearest needs across Ground Up Investing’s portfolio. Agrifood businesses rely on it to buy raw materials, keep staff paid and manage seasonal cycles. Yet in Sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture employs 65 percent of the population and contributes 25 percent of GDP, but receives less than 5 percent of commercial bank lending. Many early-stage enterprises cannot access the financing they need to remain stable.
Ground Up Investing helps fill that gap. Since 2020, it has deployed nine working capital loans totaling $1.4 million, allowing companies to continue purchasing from farmers and helping manage global price fluctuations. More than half of this funding has already been repaid and reinvested, enabling the team to reach new enterprises and create a healthier financial ecosystem for rural businesses.
A year defined by determination
The progress Ground Up Investing saw last year grew from local leadership and committed entrepreneurs. Several portfolio companies made significant strides despite difficult conditions. Mountain Harvest expanded sourcing in Uganda. Doselva strengthened its network of spice farmers in Nicaragua. Equation increased payments to farmers while maintaining premiums in Colombia by growing specialty coffee sales. These efforts show how local enterprises continue to move forward even in challenging years.
Learn more about the private sector enterprises supported by Ground Up Investing.
Looking ahead
Ground Up Investing will carry the lessons of last year into its next chapter, staying focused on early investment and steady partnership. By backing rural enterprises with the capital they need to grow, Ground Up Investing helps strengthen local businesses and the communities that rely on them.