On the Ground
On the Ground is a Traverse City, Michigan–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers gender equity, clean water, agronomy, education, and emergency response programs to smallholder coffee-farming communities in the DRC, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine, funded through individual donations, corporate coffee-sector sponsors, and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersTraverse City, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What On the Ground does
On the Ground (OTG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by Chris Treter and Timothy Young, headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan. The organization designs and delivers community development programs in coffee-growing regions across five countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine. Its programmatic portfolio spans five pillars: gender equity (delivered through the Gender Action Learning System, or GALS, methodology), clean water access, agronomy, education, and emergency response. Field execution is anchored by a small in-country staff led by DRC Country Director Herman Chirihambali Lwango, with U.S.-side fundraising and operations supported by Director of Development Stella Young.
OTG operates a traditional nonprofit funding model: revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants from coffee-sector aligned funders such as the Cooperative Coffees Impact Fund. Corporate sponsors—Higher Grounds Trading Company, Amavida Coffee, and Wonderstate Coffee—are co-founded or closely associated with OTG board members, indicating tight integration with the specialty coffee value chain. Programmatic delivery is structured around partnerships with coffee cooperatives (e.g., Just Coffee Cooperative on Project Nica; Muungano Cooperative), and the organization has historically used endurance fundraising (ultra-marathons across Ethiopia, Palestine, and the Congo) as both awareness and donor activation mechanisms. There is no proprietary technology platform; programs are human-delivered facilitation, training, and infrastructure projects.
On the Ground firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- On the Ground
- Legal name
- On the Ground Global
- Website
- https://onthegroundglobal.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- On the Ground is a Traverse City, Michigan–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers gender equity, clean water, agronomy, education, and emergency response programs to smallholder coffee-farming communities in the DRC, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine, funded through individual donations, corporate coffee-sector sponsors, and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
On the Ground industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development Services
- NAICS
- Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Environmental Education, Capacity Building & Community Engagement (BPADALAO)
Keywords
Where On the Ground is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Traverse City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
On the Ground business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Monthly recurring gifts and one-time donations from individuals supporting coffee-farming community development. Monthly giving allows for capacity building and immediate humanitarian response.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors (coffee roasters and related businesses) provide financial support, dedicate portions of sales, or host fundraising events. Partners include Higher Grounds Trading Company, Amavida Coffee, Wonderstate Coffee, and others.
- Foundation and Cooperative Grants: Grant funding from mission-aligned organizations such as Cooperative Coffees Impact Fund ($10,000 grant for Ebola response).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Emergency Ebola response supply items |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
On the Ground product offering
Product offeringCore offering
On the Ground is a nonprofit organization that supports coffee-farming communities in five countries through sustainable development programs. Its core offerings include a DRC gender equity program using an adapted GALS methodology, a clean water initiative in Chiapas (Mexico), agronomy field schools, school-building and education access in Ethiopia, support for the Las Diosas women's cooperative in Nicaragua, and Ebola emergency response in the DRC, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Product overview
On the Ground Global is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on sustainable community development in coffee-growing regions worldwide. Rather than a software product company, it offers programs and initiatives including gender equity training (GALS methodology), emergency humanitarian response, clean water initiatives, agronomy education, micro-loan programs, and educational support. The organization does not operate a platform-based product portfolio but rather delivers direct programming services to farming communities in the DRC, Mexico, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Palestine.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Ebola Emergency Response (DRC) Emergency humanitarian response effort in the Democratic Republic of Congo to address Ebola outbreaks, delivered through partner organizations and on-the-ground logistics.
- Gender Equity Program (DRC) Gender equity program for coffee-farming communities in the DRC using an adapted GALS (Gender Action Learning System) methodology with an education component, supporting women survivors of gender-based violence and the Lemera Hospital.
- Clean Water Initiative (Chiapas, Mexico) Clean water infrastructure and access program serving coffee-farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico.
- Gender-Based Violence Survivor Support (Lemera Hospital, DRC) Program supporting survivors of gender-based violence in the DRC through the Lemera Hospital partnership.
- Project Nica — Las Diosas Cooperative Support (Nicaragua) Multi-year support for the Las Diosas women's coffee cooperative in Nicaragua, including nursery development, organic fertilizer production, organic certification, and commercial partnerships with Just Coffee Cooperative and La FEM.
- Las Diosas Nursery (Nicaragua) Coffee plant nursery project supporting the Las Diosas women's cooperative's coffee production in Nicaragua.
- Education Access in Ethiopia (School Building) School construction and education access program serving coffee-farming communities in Ethiopia.
- Agronomy Field Schools Agronomy training field schools that teach sustainable coffee farming practices to farming communities across program countries.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,500+ women empowered through gender equity programming since 2016
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use On the Ground
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
On the Ground technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
On the Ground partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Muungano CooperativecoreKey partner in Eastern DRC. OTG's DRC Country Director Herman Chirihambali Lwango and Daniel Habamungu of Muungano Cooperative jointly lead Ebola response efforts. Partnership includes GALS training expansion, gender equity programs, and community development initiatives.
- Just Coffee CooperativecorePartnered with OTG to launch Project Nica supporting Las Diosas women farmers in Nicaragua following la roya crisis. Mobilized resources for crop renovation and recovery plan developed by the women of Las Diosas.
- Higher Grounds Trading CompanycoreCo-founded by Chris Treter (also co-founded OTG). Corporate sponsor that donates $5 from each 12oz bag of Awaken Spring Blend to Project Congo. Long-time supporter since OTG's founding, promoting education and gender equity in DRC coffee communities.
- Amavida Coffee RoasterscoreCo-founded by Dan Bailey. Legal Benefit Corporation that achieved Carbon and Plastic neutrality. Corporate sponsor of OTG. Also sells Chiapas Bracelets with proceeds supporting OTG initiatives.
- Wonderstate CoffeecoreCo-founded by TJ Semanchin. Corporate sponsor committed to social justice and sustainable coffee. OTG board member represents Wonderstate.
- OryanaminorCooperative natural foods store listed as corporate sponsor.
- Desmond LiggettminorDesign/branding partner listed as corporate sponsor.
- Cafe CambiominorCoffee company listed as corporate sponsor supporting OTG initiatives.
- Maya Vinic Coffee CooperativecoreIndigenous farming communities in Chiapas, Mexico. OTG has supported through clean-water initiatives, climate-focused agronomy education (Field Schools), and alternative income solutions for over a decade.
- Fundación Entre Mujeres (La FEM)coreNGO in northern Nicaragua dedicated to empowering rural women. Las Diosas cooperative emerged from La FEM. OTG support enables land ownership, gender-based violence advocacy, and economic programs for women farmers.
- Lemera HospitalcoreHospital in DRC specializing in treating victims of sexual violence. OTG supported the hospital to provide immediate medical treatment to 93 women and 167 children, helping survivors re-enter their communities.
- Gender Action Learning System (GALS)coreUN-developed community-led empowerment methodology using participatory processes and diagram tools. OTG has supported GALS workshops since 2015, training over 1,500 women and their husbands. OTG adapted the methodology by adding basic education component.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
On the Ground competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- TechnoServe: A larger international development nonprofit working with coffee and other agricultural value chains across Latin America and Africa, addressing farmer incomes, climate resilience, and cooperative capacity — overlapping thematically with OTG's agronomy and gender programs.
- Heifer International: A major NGO focused on smallholder farming livelihoods and rural development globally, with programs on climate-smart agriculture and women's empowerment that overlap OTG's sustainable agriculture and gender-equity work.
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS): A large faith-based humanitarian and development agency active in many of the same geographies (DRC, Latin America, East Africa) with overlapping agendas on agriculture, livelihoods, emergency response, and gender equity.
- CARE International: A large humanitarian and development organization combining gender-equity programming (similar to OTG's GALS work) with emergency response (similar to OTG's Ebola and volcano relief efforts) across multiple continents including coffee-origin geographies.
- Sustainable Harvest: A specialty coffee importer that runs direct-trade farmer-support and training programs across Latin America, sharing OTG's blend of relationship-based sourcing and on-the-ground farmer services — comparable in model if broader in commercialization scope.
- Mercy Corps: A major humanitarian and development organization with active programs in DRC and Ethiopia, combining emergency response with longer-term agriculture and youth work — analogous to OTG's combined humanitarian-plus-development posture.
Direct peers
- Solidaridad: An international civil-society organization driving sustainable production in commodities including coffee across Africa and Latin America, with farmer livelihoods, climate resilience, and gender programming that closely parallels OTG's work.
- Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS): An international foundation implementing coffee-farmer development programs in Africa and Latin America on climate resilience, youth, and gender — directly comparable to OTG's coffee cooperative programming in DRC, Nicaragua, and Chiapas.
- International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA): A global nonprofit network advancing gender equity and economic empowerment across the coffee supply chain, including chapters in coffee-origin countries overlapping with OTG's DRC, Nicaragua, and Mexico geographies.
- Root Capital: A nonprofit social-impact lender providing credit and capacity-building to coffee and other agricultural cooperatives in Latin America and Africa — directly comparable to OTG's work with coops like Las Diosas, Muungano, and Maya Vinic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
On the Ground social profiles
Digital presenceOn the Ground financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
On the Ground leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
On the Ground funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
On the Ground M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about On the Ground
What does On the Ground do?
On the Ground is a nonprofit organization that supports coffee-farming communities in five countries through sustainable development programs. Its core offerings include a DRC gender equity program using an adapted GALS methodology, a clean water initiative in Chiapas (Mexico), agronomy field schools, school-building and education access in Ethiopia, support for the Las Diosas women's cooperative in Nicaragua, and Ebola emergency response in the DRC, funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.
Is On the Ground a public or private company?
On the Ground is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was On the Ground founded?
On the Ground was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is On the Ground based?
On the Ground is headquartered in Traverse City, United States, in the North America region.
How does On the Ground make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships and foundation and Cooperative Grants.
Who are On the Ground's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are TechnoServe, Heifer International, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), CARE International, Sustainable Harvest and Mercy Corps. Direct peers are Solidaridad, Hanns R. Neumann Stiftung (HRNS), International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA) and Root Capital.
Does On the Ground have an API?
No public API is recorded for On the Ground.
What industry is On the Ground in?
On the Ground's product category is International Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAI, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems, with a secondary code of BPAGALAD, Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative). Its NAICS code is 8133 and its SIC code is 8300.