Our vision
A future where regenerative agriculture allows smallholder farming communities to stay secure on their land and prosper for generations.
Secure on the land for generations.
Sol Impact is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit built to strengthen smallholder farming communities and the ecosystems they depend on.
Our purpose
To strengthen the resilience of smallholder farming communities in Central America and the ecosystems they depend on.
Our mission
To empower smallholder tropical fruit growers by unlocking the tools they need most to adopt regenerative agriculture practices and principles.
Where we work
Nicaragua, Guatemala, and the next Central American expansion.
With 20 years of experience building socially and environmentally responsible value chains in Nicaragua, Sol Impact is expanding into Guatemala and across Central America and Mexico.
We currently work with 60 new farmers in Guatemala growing crops like mango, pepper, and banana for subsistence and local markets, training them to add higher-value passion fruit into a well-managed, diversified agroforestry system.
Leadership.
Sol Impact is governed by a board that brings together international development, regenerative systems design, and on-the-ground experience across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
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William C. Burke
President
Will founded and directs Sol Organica, LLC, a social enterprise focused on market-based solutions to poverty alleviation across the Nicaraguan and Guatemalan smallholder farming landscape. He created the Sol Simple brand and leads four vertically integrated B Corps that re-engineer agricultural value chains, building a customer base that includes leading multinational brands buying high-quality organic and regenerative tropical purees and juices.
His integrated model links more than 1,200 smallholder farming families to global markets through free, holistic technical assistance, fully underwritten organic and Fair Trade certifications, and credit programs. His work produced the world's first Regenerative Organic Certified fruit and established the company as the world's first and leading certified-organic exporter of dragon fruit.
Amanda Hartt
Vice President
Amanda is a former Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia with an M.S. in Food Policy from City University, London. As a volunteer, she built a dental health project by securing USAID funds, facilitating partnerships, monitoring implementation, tracking finances, and evaluating impact.
As a Senior Research Analyst, policy manager at SPINS LLC, and Lead Market Analyst at New Hope Network, Amanda learned to coordinate data collection across platforms and datasets and to identify the inputs and variables a project needs. Her goal is to advance regenerative food systems that nourish healthy communities by using project management, research, and analytics to improve outcomes while monitoring and evaluating impact.
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Sandra Contreras
Secretary
Sandra is Director of Strategic Collaboration and Development at Glasswing International, drawing on two decades of work with communities across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. Her work with the Salvadoran government and organizations like FINCA, Save the Children, and Population Council has centered on microfinance, humanitarian assistance, and positive youth development.
At Glasswing since 2016, she has led a team building sustainable programs and partnerships that address complex social challenges, including positive youth development, mental health support, and community resilience.
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Hugh Aprile
Treasurer
Hugh is a dual French and U.S. citizen who has spent more than 20 years working with communities in Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. He leads Mercy Corps' portfolio in the Americas region, including programs in Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Caribbean.
Before Mercy Corps, Hugh held leadership roles at Catholic Relief Services, including Director of the Water-Smart Agriculture in Mesoamerica program, Country Representative in Nicaragua, Head of Programming in Guatemala, Field Director in Haiti, and Emergency Response Manager in the Democratic Republic of Congo.