Coffee Villages was founded by Tom Bagaza and his wife Sylvia in 2007. Before getting involved in coffee, Tom worked on USAID (United States Agency for International Development) development projects for 9 years. Tom worked on the USAID PEARL and SPREAD projects between 2006 and 2014. Through these two projects, he worked directly with coffee producers, helping them to organise themselves into cooperatives, develop their business plans and professionalise their management. It was during this time that Tom witnessed the transformation of the lives of farmers and their communities through improved coffee quality and direct trade. A model that Tom dreamed of emulating in his community - the village of Taba.
In 2011, the couple met Mark Zchesch, an Australian pastor who runs humanitarian projects to help disadvantaged children in Rwanda. Sharing the same societal values, Mark, Tom & Sylvia decided to develop a project together to improve the lives of farmers through coffee production.