Guest Supply and the SAFAI Foundation Empower Coffee Communities in Honduras
The hospitality industry thrives on connection, and few partnerships demonstrate that better than Guest Supply and the SAFAI Foundation, this month’s Heroes of Hospitality. Together, they’re showing how business and purpose can go hand in hand to create meaningful, lasting change.
Their shared mission is rooted in a common goal: to give back to the communities at the heart of the global coffee supply chain. Since 2016, Guest Supply has partnered with the SAFAI Foundation to support sustainable development, education, and healthcare in the rural highlands of Marcala, Honduras—one of the world’s premier coffee-growing regions.
Founded in 2013 by Mike and Medora Safai, the SAFAI Foundation began as a response to the devastation caused by coffee rust fungus in Central America. The disease forced farmers to abandon their land, threatening generations of agricultural heritage. The foundation’s mission is clear: replant farms, restore livelihoods, and help families stay rooted in the land they love.
With Guest Supply’s backing—through product sales, fundraising, and partnerships with major hospitality brands—their impact has grown significantly. To date, the partnership has contributed over $147,000 toward projects including:
- A fully equipped 4×4 medical rescue vehicle delivered to a remote hospital serving 90,000 residents
- A 40-foot container of medical supplies, diagnostic equipment, and hospital beds for rural clinics
- Support for replanting coffee farms, fostering long-term economic independence
- Funding for a new school cafeteria at COMSA International School, providing nutritious meals and on-site food education for local students
Earlier this year, the Guest Supply team joined the SAFAI Foundation on a three-day field visit to Honduras. They walked the farms, met with the organic coffee cooperative Café Organico Marcala S.A. (COMSA), delivered the emergency vehicle, and visited the new school cafeteria under construction. The trip brought home the real-world impact of their efforts.
“Ultimately, the best feeling I had in the end was knowing that Guest Supply has made a tremendous impact on the regrowth of this community,” said Mike Larkin, Product Marketing Manager at Guest Supply. “It gives me a real sense of pride in Guest Supply and what we do—knowing we are making a difference in the community and industry.”
This is what it means to be a Hero of Hospitality: two organisations working side by side to deliver health, education, and opportunity, while also reinforcing the sustainability of one of hospitality’s most essential products: coffee.
At Inside Hospitality Solutions, we’re proud to spotlight this partnership. But more than that, we see it as a call to action. The SAFAI Foundation is looking for more industry partners to help scale their work across Central America.
Learn more, support, donate, or get involved at www.safaifoundation.org
Inside Hospitality Solutions created the IHS Hospitality Hero program to celebrate businesses and individuals like Guest Supply who embody the spirit of hospitality and inspire excellence in others. We are thrilled to honor them with this award and look forward to recognizing more exceptional hospitality professionals in the coming months.
Congratulations, Guest Supply, our latest IHS Hospitality Hero!
If you would like to nominate a colleague for the Inside Hospitality Solutions Hospitality Hero Award, then contact Yuri Duncan for further information