? What Real “Boots on the Ground” looks like! ?

How often have you heard the phrase “boots on the ground” used in the investment or real estate industry?

Originally it was a Military saying. "Boots on the ground" is shorthand for troops deployed in a foreign country. ... Infantry has been stomping in boots through the mud….

It has become a critical phrase recently for any passive investor who is investing offshore.

You want to know that you are investing with a partner, an operator, who has in-depth knowledge of the country, the local market, and the industry, that you are investing in.

Even more, you want to know that they are there, in the weeds daily, and an active part of the community. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly about the area where you are investing.

Another commonly used phrase is “Passive Investor.” This is where you, as the investor, invest your hard-earned savings or pension funds, and the operator does the work on your behalf.

Our clients invest with us because we are in-country, hands-on, and our workers live literally on our farms.

What is not reported on often enough and in enough detail is exactly how much hard work the farmers and workers do day-in and day-out, all year long. Working to develop specialty coffee and cacao farms, from scratch, in Tropical conditions, to ensure a return on your investment.

If you have been following our recent updates, you will know that we acquired 62.5 hectares (155 acres) of fertile farmland in Chiriqui Grande, Panama that we are developing into a large, specialty cacao farm.

Some of our Team have relocated from Boquete to the new farm and have begun working on phase 1. We are building the new nursery that will house 75,000 cacao saplings. Creating this nursery from scratch during the rainy season is hard, dirty work!

Below are some images and videos to give you just a tiny glimpse into the daily life of our coffee and cacao farm workers, who are literally “muddy boots on the ground,” working daily to make these farms a success for all of us.

We are all guilty of taking our food for granted. We simply go to the supermarket and pick up our finished product with not much care and certainly no idea of what went into making those products.

As we continue to develop our brands of specialty coffee and chocolate, we will work to connect the end consumer with the farmers and the team that produce our products.

In the specialty food industry, Direct Trade is now where the focus is shifting. Consumers want to see a direct line to the people who grow their food and know that they are well treated and well-compensated.

Check out our Cuatro Camino’s coffee website and Mahogany Chocolate website where you can meet our farmers and their families and put a face to the Team behind the finished products!