We are very proud to introduce Connexus Coffee, the second Crypto Ethical Firm in our ecosystem!

What fantastic news! Just a few days ago, we told you about La Bicicleta becoming the first Crypto Ethical Firm in our ecosystem, and today we can announce that we already have a second one. A new business that will accept ethix as payment for its services and make them available to our small producers in the Collective Collateral. In this way, as already happens with La Bicicleta, Connexus users who pay in ethix will contribute to providing the necessary guarantee for our small producers to access cheaper and more accessible financing. But even before then, we can already see the wonderful contribution made by Connexus to our ecosystem.

One of the most disruptive features of EthicHub's Crypto Ethical Firms is their transparency. You don't have to trust us or Connexus because now you can verify for yourselves what we're telling you.

Here's the link to the CELO blockchain explorer with Connexus' public address already added. Anyone who clicks and takes a look will see that there are currently six originator communities that have benefited from Connexus' social commitment to what we're building here: CoRi, FABEDI, CAFÉ FUNDADORES, SAN MARCOS, CAFÉ SUSTENTABLE, and SIERRA AZUL have received part of the requested guarantee in our Collective Collateral.

Many thanks to Connexus for their commitment.

‍https://explorer.celo.org/mainnet/address/0x7361B7fB198Bdc9b7e7698D66D63C4A37166852F

‍

The most curious among you can also verify that the first tests and experiments with this technology took place several months ago. At this point, we would like to congratulate Samuel, the person responsible for turning Connexus into a Crypto Ethical Firm, for being such an entrepreneurial changemaker. We also want to highlight his curiosity and interest in delving into this fascinating world and taking the initiative to experiment with the technology in such a pioneering project. Thanks to his wonderful predisposition, we were able to establish a very pleasant and fluid relationship, just as we did with Quique, Pablo, and the rest of the La Bicicleta team. As was the case then, we've had many conversations about the possibilities of this amazing technology and carried out initial tests. We felt that this period of time was necessary to introduce many people to our purpose through practical experience with the technology and the utility of our ethix token.

So today, we are thrilled to announce Connexus as a Crypto Ethical Firm and make its public address available to everyone.

How did we get here?

It is truly fascinating to learn about the circumstances that have converged to bring us to this announcement. The origin and history of each Crypto Ethical Firm must necessarily be unique, even though they all converge here. Regarding our own story, we are deeply grateful for Samuel's account of our journey. "As I gradually learned more about EthicHub's advancements and got to know the people behind the project, my level of trust undoubtedly increased. Coupled with the need to build my company on solid foundations where sustainability is a cornerstone of Connexus, these factors became the primary reasons for my firm decision to join the group of Crypto Ethical Firms. Trust, transparency, and the joy of being able to contribute through the collaborative economy, where we can all generate shared value," were the driving forces behind this decision.

It is also interesting to highlight Samuel's vision and review his entrepreneurial journey, which is closely tied to the world of coffee. "I have started many projects, created companies, and foundations, and in recent years, I have worked for others. Until finally, I decided to let go of the dependency on working for someone else, to face my purpose head-on, and embark on a new entrepreneurial adventure. First, I created a podcast called Conecta Propósito and also a food company called Connexus Alimentos with its coffee brand, Connexus Coffee." From our conversation with Samuel, we share this particularly inspiring reflection: "I have also learned that when you focus on a purpose, when you ask the question of how to persist, persevere, and achieve it, both the path you must take, the resources you need, the people who bring value to your life, and the answers to that question become clear."

From being a grassroots ethichubber to Crypto Ethical Firm

And at this point, we'd like to share a particularly exciting anecdote we discovered. Samuel has actually been an Ethichubber since 2020! "Working in the Spanish coffee industry is like living in a small town; news travels fast. I heard about EthicHub the year it launched, but it wasn't until 2020 that I decided to timidly invest a small amount to support a project in Mexico. New technologies, uncertainty about the unknown, and inexperience were factors that led me to want to explore what it meant to support small coffee farmers using a technology like Blockchain."

From being a grassroots Ethichubber in 2020 to becoming the second Crypto Ethical Firm in our ecosystem just three years later, it's quite a journey. "With over 20 years of professional experience in various social and environmental projects, as well as in the corporate world, I asked myself, 'How can I ensure that my company, from the moment it is born, is connected to the purpose of generating collective, economic, social, and environmental value?' One of the clearest answers that came was the concept of a Crypto Ethical Firm, an initiative that connects several of these points, as expressed in the Connexus Manifesto."

Samuel references Connexus' foundational manifesto, a five-point document advocating for fair, balanced, and sustainable work in the specialty coffee world. With this declaration of intent, it is now easier to understand the natural and fluid nature of our relationship that has culminated in this exciting announcement for everyone. "Being a Crypto Ethical Firm provides us with security and a world full of possibilities. Security in knowing that resources are reaching where they need to go, that the impacts of small actions are reflected in concrete results, in people with names and surnames, and as a consequence, in the ability of coffee farmers to continue producing the essential raw material for a company like Connexus."

Samuel also offers an interesting reflection on what we are building here with the Crypto Ethical Firms, something that goes beyond the most obvious. For Samuel, being part of the EthicHub FCE community is, in addition, participating in "a world full of possibilities, as the FCE community is a living system, where there is constant transformation. Projects, initiatives, people, diverse worlds converge in a common project and, ultimately, maintain the connection of the main points to be able to transform the coffee environment into a fair, transparent, and sustainable ecosystem."

Your insights are spot on, Samuel. We are honored to have you join us on this emerging venture. With you on board, we are stronger and better equipped. Let us move forward together.

Being a Crypto Ethical Firm allows us to be part of the change and the solution to various challenges in the coffee world, as well as in the financial sector.

‍