Coffee is one of the world’s most traded commodities, yet the people who grow it often earn the least. In Colombia, coffee farmers typically receive only two to seven per cent of the final retail price – sometimes as little as two to four euros per kilogram. Long and fragmented supply chains, often involving up to 15 intermediaries, leave producers with little bargaining power and limited insight into international markets. 

This imbalance is what motivated diaspora entrepreneur Stephan Meier to create 50/50, a digital trading platform designed to make the coffee value chain fairer and more transparent. 

At the heart of 50/50’s business model is a simple principle. Coffee producers should receive a fair share of the profits generated by their work: at least 50 per cent after taxes. To achieve this, 50/50 reduces the number of intermediaries and brings farmers into direct contact with international buyers through an online marketplace. 

By shifting trade to a digital platform, buyers can order coffee straight from producers, while farmers gain more control over pricing, marketing and long-term relationships. The model also explores involving producers more directly in steps such as milling and transport, which are usually handled by external firms. 

To make the concept work in practice, Stephan knew he had to understand the realities of coffee production first-hand. With financial and technical support from the Business Ideas for Development (BID) initiative, he travelled to Colombia to conduct a market study and build relationships across the value chain. “The trip has been a great achievement, we were able to see what the best coffee is and who we are going to work with, that is to say that it is not a desperate search for just any coffee, but it is a selection of very good quality,” he explains. 

During the trip, Stephan met 23 potential suppliers, including 20 individual producers and three producer associations, all of whom confirmed that 50/50 addresses their need to access fairer prices and new markets. He also identified suitable logistics and storage partners and tested the distribution chain with a pilot shipment to Germany. 

Beyond the fieldwork, BID support enabled Stephan to prototype the digital marketplace, purchase a domain and commission the development of the 50/50 website. The aim was to move from an initial idea to a market-ready platform that could be presented to buyers and investors. 

With BID support, he built links to logistics providers, marketers, roasters and importers in Germany, creating a network of more than 100 stakeholders. He also joined Red Emprende Café, a knowledge-sharing network of coffee entrepreneurs from the German diaspora. 

The pilot shipment to Germany proved the feasibility of the model. A first larger export batch is planned for 2026, with the ambition to scale exports to five to ten tonnes per year. Stephan intends to collaborate with around 15 to 20 coffee farmers over the next two years and further strengthen the digital marketplace.  

With additional grant support secured after the BID support, 50/50 is now positioning itself in high-value coffee market niches, including through local events and pop-ups. At the same time, Stephan continues to focus on his core mission: overcoming information barriers and ensuring that those, who grow the coffee share fairly in its success. 

Further information on the offers available to the Colombia diaspora can be found below.