Connexus led the finance component of the USAID Peru Cocoa Alliance. Within the first three quarters of the project, Connexus facilitated $1.2 million in impact investor funds to cocoa and coffee cooperatives and facilitated increased access to finance for more than 400 farmers (30% female). Connexus managed relationships with socially responsible investors, conducted due diligence of financial and social performance, managed a technical assistance grant facility, and built capacity of local financial institutions and loan officers to make effective loans for rural SMEs and agribusinesses.
Connexus forged alliances with: ECOM Agroindustrial, Netafim, Calvert Foundation, HIVOS, MicroVest, Grassroots Business Fund, Root Capital, and Verde Ventures. Using leverage funding, Connexus conducted assessments of the cocoa, chili pepper, and plantain value chains and mapped their access to finance. In addition, Connexus trained 40 participants (25% female) on Agricultural Value Chain Finance, with positive evaluations averaging 4 out of a maximum 5-point scale.