Our Story
We didn’t build Buena Vida to sell coffee. We built it to prove that a company can be in right relationship with everyone it touches — the farmer, the soil, the community, and the person holding the cup — and still be the most viable business in its industry. From the beginning, Buena Vida has been a movement, not a brand.
Women-owned and women-led, and founded in 2019 by Gally Mayer, what began as a search for exceptional coffee became a mission to prove a new business model for the industry — one that puts farmer and soil first. Everything we believe starts underground: heal the soil, and everything above it follows — the health of the farmer, the resilience of the farm, the life in the cup, and the health of the person who drinks it. Soil health is gut health is human health; that isn’t a slogan to us, it’s the whole reason the company exists. Today, Buena Vida partners with a growing network of regenerative-certified farms across Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama, roasts on the first solar-powered electric Probat in Latin America — alongside select roasting partners in the U.S. and Europe — and traces every bean from seed to cup.
But healing land can’t stop at a good intention or a comfortable label. It has to be proven. That’s why our north star has always been Regenerative Organic Certification — the most rigorous standard in agriculture, one that refuses to separate living soil from farmer fairness and animal welfare, and asks you to verify all of it rather than claim it. As the Regenerative Organic Alliance’s coffee partner of choice for the Journey to ROC™ pilot, we’re helping build the pathway for coffee producers everywhere to make that transition, one acre and one farmer at a time.
Mission: Empower Latin American specialty coffee farms through regenerative agriculture, collaboration, and education. We support the full regenerative certification process and partner with farmers to buy, roast, and sell their high-quality specialty coffee. THis ENSURES the future of coffee, which is threatened by climate change and lack of farmer prosperity.
Vision: A new business model for the coffee industry that puts farmer and soil first.
Our Approach
That revelation became our mission: to empower Latin American specialty coffee farms through regenerative agriculture, collaboration, and education—securing the future of coffee itself, which is threatened by climate change and lack of farmer prosperity.
Our entire supply chain is regenerative certified, meaning every pound of coffee we produce contributes directly to soil restoration, biodiversity, and farmer prosperity. By roasting locally in Costa Rica using solar-powered, state-of-the-art Probat electric technology—and partnering with select roasters in the U.S. to ensure freshness—we retain more value at origin and connect consumers directly to the producers and ecosystems behind their coffee.
In an industry where 80% of coffee farmers live on or below the poverty line and earn only 4 cents per cup of coffee on average, we have built a model where farmers earn 2-3 times the specialty coffee market average, and seasonal pickers earn 33% above the national minimum wage. Long-term contracts, peer-to-peer training, and access to low-interest loans provide security and opportunity in a sector where instability has been the norm.
Our Philosophy
Regeneration, for us, is more than a checklist of practices. It is a philosophy grounded in the belief that soil and farmers belong at the center of the coffee story. Regenerative systems reduce erosion caused by agrochemicals, restore nutrients naturally, sequester carbon, foster biodiversity, and ensure that farms remain resilient for generations to come.
But the benefits extend beyond the land: healthier soils support stronger yields, more stable income, and renewed pride in farming. By restoring dignity and prosperity to coffee production, we create the conditions for younger generations to see farming not as a burden but as a future worth pursuing.
Our Impact & Vision
As a women-owned and led company, we’re proud to collaborate with organizations like Les Dames NYC and the Pleiades Network, working alongside government agencies, universities, buyers, cafés, restaurants, and farmers worldwide to build an equitable value chain.
We serve as a platform for collaboration, bringing together farmers, agronomists, industry leaders, and regenerative advocates to share knowledge and accelerate the adoption of regenerative systems. In this way, we amplify farmer voices and position coffee as a driver of both climate resilience and rural prosperity.
Ultimately, Buena Vida is redefining what coffee can mean. We’re proving that exceptional taste and measurable impact can coexist in a single cup—that coffee can serve as a catalyst for healthier ecosystems, stronger communities, and a regenerative future. For us, regeneration is not just about the land. It’s about farmers, families, and culture. It’s about ensuring that coffee remains both a heritage and a future.
Meet Our Team
People committed to doing things well
Gally Mayer
Co-founder & CEO
Susana Cascante
Executive Support
Reva Singh
Director of Sustainability
María Fernanda Gamboa
Director of Academia Buena Vida
Roy Marin
Head Barista
