The Power of Community Partnerships in Times of Crisis

The Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC) is one of Colombia’s largest and most important businesses. But in 2008, coffee prices were crashing and long-simmering conflicts between the government and insurgents ignited into all-out war in several coffee regions. Instead of ramping up armed security at headquarters or withdrawing from precarious areas, FNC’s CEO, Luis Genaro Muñoz, decided to implement a 10-year plan of community engagement and peacebuilding trainings. The FNC case illustrates how partnerships with their communities can deliver economic advantages to companies, as those that fully embed typically gain a legitimacy that improves their security and profitability and those of their employees. The idea that a company truly cares about the welfare of its workers and their community can be powerful, especially in places where people have been ignored or even victimized by their own government.