From Fields to Forecasts: How Coffee Co-ops in East Africa Are Using AI to Outsmart Climate Risk

Since 2002, Saurin has worked at the intersection of agriculture, design, and systems change, developing programs that support smallholder communities across coffee, cotton, and cocoa. His work spans responsible sourcing, finance, traceability, and leadership development, grounded in strengthening relationships across value chains. He designs and facilitates events and exchanges that bring diverse perspectives together around shared challenges.

With over 25 years of experience working with smallholder coffee producers in Latin America, Jeroen has extensive expertise in social finance, cooperative management, and sustainable development with a regional focus on Central and Latin America. Starting at a coffee producers' cooperative in Guatemala, he led the organization through a period of significant growth. Jeroen then moved to Massachusetts-based Root Capital, leading the lending and financial advisory portfolio in Latin America. After 11 years in finance, Jeroen returned to the coffee sector with Sustainable Harvest, where he was involved in supply chain management, logistics, impact measurement, and the development of a net-zero policy, enhancing the company's Relationship Coffee Model. Currently, he works at the Committee on Sustainability Assessment—COSA on Agile projects and impact measurement.

Founder and Operations Manager of Bagheni Coffee Estate, a family-owned commercial coffee estate in Uganda, pioneering a model that preserves agricultural land rather than allowing it to be fragmented across generations. He is committed to producing exceptional specialty coffee while promoting sustainable farming, long-term productivity, and value creation at origin. Brian also serves as the Beyco Coordinator for East Africa at Progreso Foundation, where he leads the implementation of digital data management, traceability, and compliance reporting systems across the coffee and cocoa value chains. His work focuses on helping producer organizations strengthen transparency, meet international market requirements, and improve supply chain sustainability through digital innovation.