How Mayorga Operates Differently: We Don’t Have Investors

In today’s business world, investor-backed companies dominate nearly every industry—including coffee. Private equity firms, venture capitalists, and corporate conglomerates pump money into brands, demanding aggressive growth and maximizing shareholder returns. That’s the game.

Mayorga Coffee doesn’t play that game.

We’ve never taken on outside investors, and we never will. Not because we couldn’t, but because it would fundamentally change who we are, how we operate, and who we serve.

Our priorities are clear: our producers, our team, and our customers. Not shareholders. Not executives chasing short-term profits. Not people who want to see a return on investment at the expense of everyone else in the supply chain.

Investors Change a Company’s DNA

Most brands in the coffee/food industry follow a predictable pattern:

1. They start with a (mostly embellished) mission-driven story
2. They take on investors to scale
3. Investors demand growth at all costs
4. Margins get prioritized over values
5. The brand loses its soul (which, in my opinion, it never had)

We’ve seen it happen over and over again. Once investors are involved, the decision-making process shifts. No longer is it about doing what’s right for the farmers, the team, or even the customers—it’s about maximizing revenue and increasing company valuation.

That’s why so many coffee brands that once claimed to care about sustainability and ethics now cut corners, compromise sourcing standards, and quietly increase pricing while paying producers less. Their mission becomes marketing, not action.

We refuse to go down that path.

Operating on Thinner Margins—Because Hard Work > Shareholder Returns

When a company has investors, it’s expected to hit profit targets that satisfy those investors. That usually means increasing prices, cutting costs, or both.

Because Mayorga Coffee doesn’t have outside investors demanding double-digit returns, we can operate on thinner margins. That means:

• Paying farmers great prices for large volumes
• Investing in our team without slashing costs elsewhere
• Offering customers an honest price that isn’t padded for shareholder profits

We believe in building through hard work, not financial engineering. Our business isn’t designed to “exit” or sell to the highest bidder—it’s designed to make an impact.

Our Priorities: Farmers, Our Team, and Our Customers

Since day one, Mayorga Coffee has been about creating real value for real people. Not Wall Street. Not private equity. Not corporate investors.

Farmers First – We  invest in long-term relationships and support our producers beyond transactions. Our business model is built on empowerment, not extraction.

Team & Culture – We are about our staff.  We always seek ways to best support them. We’re in this together.

Customers Over Investors – When you buy Mayorga Coffee, you’re not paying for investor profits—you’re paying for quality, sustainability, and a business that puts integrity over margins.  OUR CUSTOMERS ARE OUR INVESTORS and their ROI is great quality at a fair price while feeling good about supporting a company operating ethically

The Bottom Line: We’re Built for Impact, Not an Exit Strategy

Most businesses are built to sell. The goal is to increase valuation, attract buyers, and cash out. That’s why so many once-authentic brands end up watered down and corporate-controlled and why so many are lost now that the private markets have lost interest in coffee.

 I've turned down about half a dozen attempts to acquire us. Some very appealing numbers were put in front of me.  But we're not for sale. We’re here for the long haul, growing the right way—through hard work, transparency, and commitment to the people who matter.  We're profitable.  We're just not greedy.

That’s just another way Mayorga operates differently.

Con Orgullo Latino,
Martin Mayorga
Founder & CEO, Mayorga Coffee