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Marianella Baez Jost is the Founder and Director of Farmers Project Specialty Coffee, a small group of Costa Rican producers who established a true direct trade model and now enjoy long-term partnerships with roasters in the USA and Canada. Farmers Project was the product of Marianella’s extensive local knowledge gained from ownership of Café Con Amor Farm in the mountains of Naranjo, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Her unique role in the coffee value chain allows her to constantly engage with farmers and consumers, providing unique insights into market practices, gender equity in farming and sustainability challenges. Her passion to help empower other women in coffee led her to serve on the Board of Directors of the International Women Coffee Alliance – Costa Rica.

Born and raised in Costa Rica, she always admired the United States as a nation of opportunity and prosperity. Her desire to learn English drove her to obtain a scholarship to study in the U.S. She graduated from the University of Nebraska, with a degree in Business Administration with emphasis in International Business.

Prior to her foray into coffee, she developed and led study abroad programs for Florida State University. Professional positions earlier in her career allowed her the opportunity to live in various states and work in a diverse range of industries from Telecommunications to Finance, Logistics and International Trade.

Marianella divides her time between her two homes in Costa Rica and the Unites States. She and her husband reside in North Carolina with their Golden Retriever, Guapa. She loves to travel, trail bike and hike in the woods and mountains.