Will Lehr

Why Bitcoiners Who Rage Quit El Salvador After the IMF Deal Will Regret It | Will Lehr of Club Cocal, James of Beef Back Better & Bitcoin Farmers Market, Ronny Avendano of the Bitcoin Hardware Store

- The Bitcoin Farmers Market has operated for three years (now twice monthly at Club Cocal in El Zonte) as a direct peer-to-peer marketplace where Salvadoran vendors and producers accept Bitcoin for beef, organic produce, artisan goods, and food. It functions as a meeting point for Bitcoiners and visitors exploring life on a Bitcoin standard. - El Salvador is experiencing **reverse brain drain**—attracting skilled entrepreneurs and capital from developed nations citing government overreach (EU wallet registration, Netherlands unrealized gains taxes, Canada Bitcoin ATM removals, COVID restrictions), seeking freedom and sovereignty unavailable at home. - Self-custody, food sovereignty, and Bitcoin philosophy are interconnected. Ronny Avendano (Bitcoin Hardware Store) and James (Beef Back Better) frame owning keys, growing food, and controlling one's health as extensions of the same autonomy principle. - Real estate in El Zonte has a Bitcoin floor: property values outpace dollar and gold/silver appreciation over 3.5 years; beachfront land is now among the most expensive per square foot in El Salvador, with developers pricing in long-term Bitcoin adoption. - The IMF deal and recent government policy shifts triggered a "flushing of weak hands" among some Bitcoiners, but core community members remain bullish. Blink wallet's adoption of self-custody and Spark protocol, growing business adoption, and expanded vendor interest suggest positive momentum despite bear market conditions. - Expansion plans include traveling farmers markets to San Salvador, Santa Ana, and Tamanique to reach inland Bitcoiners, plus a Bitcoin-prized rodeo in November at Lake Ilopango featuring cowboy poker and bull-riding events.