Local man breaks new (coffee) ground in Peru

HURON — Matt Hohler isn't the average Joe who loves coffee.Every day when he wakes up, the 2007 Sandusky Central Catholic Schools graduate experiences a morning jolt pulsating through his body without first consuming a caffeinated-filled cup.The former Huron resident is just too excited about an initiative he and his business partner, Robert Durrette, brewed up and began in January.Hohler now resides in Peru, where he started his own business, doubling as a grassroots initiative, called Levanta (pronounced la-vahn-ta) Coffee.The campaign aims to raise awareness and generate funds for distressed coffee farmers living in the South American country."We just want to create better opportunities and better lives for coffee producers who deal with poverty," Hohler said during a recent telephone interview from Peru.Matt Hohler, second from right, is a 2007 Sandusky Central Catholic Schools graduate who now lives in Peru. In South America, he manages his new business campaign called Levanta Coffee. The initiative aims to raise awareness and generate additional income for coffee-producing farmers living in Peru. Most of these farmers, who often support families of four to six people, make anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000 a year.Coffee economicsIn 2013, when Hohler taught English in Honduras, he himself received a firsthand education about a troubling trend."I started to learn about coffee and where it came from, and I saw a different side to it," he said.The 225,000 or so farmers in Peru, on average, only receive a tiny fraction of the proceeds — literally, pennies on the dollar — from a final coffee purchase price. "What dictates the price of coffee is the global market," Hohler said. "Today it's very low (equaling $1.35 on Thursday)."The inferior price, then, yields smaller dividends for everyone involved in an excessive, and arguably unnecessary lengthy, process to produce and distribute coffee worldwide.It's a far cry from the marketed "fair trade" model, Hohler said."The supply chain is so long," Hohler added. "It passes about 10 hands before it reaches you. During each step, the price hikes up because people take their cut and profit along the way."In the best-case scenario, a typical small-scale Peruvian farmer, who often supports four to six family members, makes somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 a year."Many farmers struggle to get by," Hohler said. "In Central America, there is even a term, 'Los meses flacos,' meaning, 'The thin months.' Receiving only one payment a year, there are periods that some coffee farmers go without food. They are not bad business people. They do this to offer the lowest price possible so consumers keep buying their products."Unlike in the U.S., where many foods feature the farm from which it came from — such as corn hailing from Hahn Farm in Huron or apple cider coming from Burnham Orchards in Berlin Heights — coffee from South America gets delivered stateside in a different, more mysterious fashion."Coffee is all gathered together, through a cooperative, mixed and put together in a shipping container, which is 37,000 pounds," said Hohler, explaining this is how a majority of retailers, such as Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, receive their coffee. "Starbucks employees aren't walking around in Peru looking for coffee. They work through intermediaries."Matt Hohler, a 2007 Sandusky Central Catholic Schools graduate, now lives in Peru where he manages his new business campaign called Levanta Coffee. The initiative aims to raise awareness and generate additional income for coffee-producing farmers living in Peru. Most of these farmers, who often support families of four to six people, make anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000 a year.The launch of Levanta CoffeeIn January, Hohler sold most of his possessions and, with Durrette, moved to Peru, known as an underrated, and equally unheralded, coffee-producing country."After I went to Honduras, I came up with an idea for a business to help these farmers out," said Hohler, who went shortly after graduating from the University of Akron. He also has a degree from the University of Toledo.Hohler established old, maintained existing and fostered new relationships with several farmers to convince them of and invite them in on this campaign.The vision falls under an umbrella Hohler named Levanta Coffee."Levanta is a Spanish word that has two meanings: wake up and also to lift up or rise up," Hohler said. "Wake up in the morning with a cup of Levanta coffee and help to lift up the coffee farmers we work with. Levanta. Together."Levanta Coffee aims to streamline the supply chain process by allowing consumers to directly purchase coffee from Peru to their doorsteps and mailboxes. It also strives to maximize profits for cash-strapped farmers."Our ultimate goal is to sell as much coffee as possible," Hohler said. "We believe the more people we can push to our network the more people it will benefit."Eventually, Hohler wants Levanta Coffee-endorsed products to line shelves in grocery stores and counters of coffee shops worldwide, including in the U.S.Levanta's sales pitch also involves filming a farming family partnered with the company. This helps capture a story a purchaser can watch to see who the people are behind the beans."We're trying to do artistic, first-person narratives of the lives of coffee producers," Hohler said.All sales through Levanta — the company sells whole bean and pre-ground coffee, broken down into light, medium and dark roasts — benefit farmers partnering with the company.The expectation: Farmers receive extra income, and potential bonuses, from the income generated through sales. The remaining funds help subsidize Levanta's production costs, such as for filming and promotional materials."You can buy the coffee straight from our producers and straight from their farms," Hohler said. "You will know exactly where your coffee came from, and then you can follow along with that story as you drink the coffee."Hohler thoroughly enjoys working with the farmers, who he considers part of his own family."These people are extremely giving of their time," Hohler said. "And coffee is a vehicle to create connections with people. It's a drink that bonds people, whether sitting down together, sharing a pot, meeting for a date. And we want to extend that connection to create opportunities for people who are often overlooked."Matt Hohler, a 2007 Sandusky Central Catholic Schools graduate, now lives in Peru where he manages his new business campaign called Levanta Coffee. The initiative aims to raise awareness and generate additional income for coffee-producing farmers living in Peru. Most of these farmers, who often support families of four to six people, make anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000 a year.Pouring his heart outIt's no surprise to Pete Kowalski seeing Hohler harness his humanitarian qualities."He has always been an intelligent and hard-working kid, and once he had an idea to do something in a social justice manner, he did it adamantly and diligently," said Kowalski, a Perkins Township resident, whose son, Shepard, graduated with Hohler. "He and Rob identified this coffee scenario, knowing it wasn't fair to those farmers, and knew in the back of his mind, through his education, he could make a difference there, and now he is."Kowalski can't wait to taste Levanta Coffee, which will start shipping stateside in November."Anytime we can impact lives positively is a great thing," Kowalski said. "He has helped identify an issue that isn't fair and wants to change that so he can help make a positive difference in people's lives."And that's truly what Hohler wants to do."The money going to farmers might not seem like much, but it could help increase their profits by more than 100 percent and change their lives, meaning they can provide enough food and medical care for their families," Hohler said. "You wouldn't believe how excited these people are to share their stories and sit down with us. It's really coming together very cool. It's something special and something I'm extremely proud of."Want to help?Matt Hohler, a 2007 Sandusky Central Catholic Schools graduate, now lives in Peru where he manages his new business campaign called Levanta Coffee.The initiative aims to raise awareness and generate additional income for coffee-producing farmers living in Peru. Most of these farmers, who often support families of four to six people, make anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000 a year.On the company's Kickstarter page, people can either purchase coffee or donate to the campaign. All proceeds benefit the farmers and Levanta Coffee.For more information, visit levantacoffee.com.