Having grown up in extreme poverty in the Northern rainforest of Guatemala, Regi has committed his life to do whatever he can to ensure that he contributes to alleviating the conditions that create the same suffering for others, no matter where in the world they may be. To this lifelong and global task, he brings a boundless passion and a long history of entrepreneurship. Back in Guatemala before migrating to the US in 1992, he managed the marketing department for an organization that sold crafts from over 3,500 indigenous people from 42 communities. Once he arrived in the US, he started a few similar businesses and in 1995 started the process of founding, organizing, conceptualizing, and later launching and managing the start-up phase of Peace Coffee, one of Minnesota’s premier fair-trade coffee companies.
I hope you enjoy our conversation.