About the Gente Buena Foundation
Our Purpose
As the tequila industry has boomed globally, production processes have become increasingly complex. Industrialization has inflicted significant harm on delicate agave ecosystems, and the people of Mexico who have dedicated generations to cultivating the spirit have seen little of the wealth it generates. Residents of agave-growing regions often endure inadequate infrastructure and are forced to work low-waged and intermittent jobs in unsafe conditions. Our goal is to build a framework for tequila producers to work toward a more human-centered industry that supports the people and land that make their spirit possible.
Our Approach
Our process begins by building relationships with local communities and allowing their needs and interests to guide where and how we work. We partner directly with trusted expert organizations in Mexico to address these priorities effectively. Together, we design meaningful solutions and implement clear actions that create positive change in areas like reliable work and living wages, water security and safety, and women’s leadership.
A Model Built To Grow
Complex challenges in Mexico’s agave-producing regions don’t have one-size-fits-all solutions. So the Gente Buena Foundation set out to build something that could: a scalable, replicable model for lasting change, starting hyperlocal in a single distillery town and designed to grow across the region from there.
That town is San Pedro de los Landeros (SPL), a community of roughly 50 households just northwest of Tequila. SPL is home to Valor, a small-batch tequila producer dedicated to supporting the communities where its tequila is made. Valor founded the Gente Buena Foundation as an independent nonprofit working alongside local people and partners for community and environmental well-being.
As our mission began, we started off by listening to SPL families. The community named its own most pressing needs: a clean and reliable water supply, access to health services, support for women’s leadership, and opportunities for professional growth. Then we built the local partnerships needed to effectively meet them.
What we’ve built together in SPL is a model for how the Foundation grows. Communities lead, and we follow where they point. One relationship at a time, one community at a time, each shaping its own thriving future.
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1370 N St Andrews Pl #B19, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Gente Buena Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.
Our tax identification number is 93-3700121.
* Gente Buena Foundation is not accepting grant proposals.
** The Gente Buena Foundation plans giving based on local research and community-generated goals. Solicitations will not be accepted.
