Dear Maricel,

I remember meeting you during the pandemic, when the world felt suspended in uncertainty and you were daring enough to imagine something entirely new: coffee without beans. It was more than a product. It was a vision, a declaration that the future could be different if someone was bold enough to reimagine it. I wrote you your second check not just because of the company you were creating, but because of you.

When you recently confided that you felt like you had failed, I pushed back. Choosing not to raise more capital, or deciding not to keep developing a company, is not failure. The only true failure is abandoning your ideals.

I see a startup, a venture, as an act of creativity—an expression of a founder’s values, and of the change they want to bring into the world. And Compound Foods has been that expression for you: a profound care for the planet and its climate future, paired with innovation and the courage to challenge entrenched systems. You gave the world a new language: “beanless coffee.” Today, others use that phrase because you first dared to say it. That’s not failure—that’s influence.

What has always set you apart is your ability to turn challenge into strength. One of your superpowers is adaptability—where others see roadblocks, you find paths forward. Another is your astonishing learning velocity, how quickly you absorb and turn knowledge into action. You don’t just move through reality—you transform it. And just as important: you inspire others. Your energy is contagious, sparking courage in those around you. Your superpowers will carry you far beyond this chapter.

To me, Compound Foods is never only about coffee. It is about possibility. About how one Latina founder from Costa Rica can bend the arc of an entire industry toward something better. About how ambition and values, together, can touch lives, corporations, and even our planet. That spirit—the one that imagines what doesn’t yet exist and sets out to build it—is the same spirit that defines the ambitious rebels we invest in.

Maricel, what you built is beautiful. And what you carry forward is even more powerful. I am grateful that life brought us together, and I hope you will continue to be part of our lives. I can’t wait to see what else you will create.

With admiration and gratitude,

Consuelo Valverde