About

The Origin Story

It started with a simple question: "Who picked this?"

I was sitting in a café, looking at a bag of expensive Geisha coffee. It had a nice label, tasting notes of jasmine and bergamot, and a price tag of $40. But nowhere on the bag did it say who actually did the work.

I decided to find out. I used my summer break to travel to the Boquete region in Panama. I didn't stay in a hotel; I stayed on the farm.

What I'm doing now

• Led 18 educational events reaching over 10,000 people with 200 volunteers to explain the coffee supply chain
• Secured VC funding and China wholesale partnerships to scale direct trade impact
• Donated $25,000 to Carmen Kids Scholarship program supporting farmers' children education
• Selling "Drop of Panama" beans where 100% of profits go back to the farm infrastructure
• Documenting the stories of the harvest team to give them the recognition they deserve

Why Fair Trade Isn't Actually Fair

Before starting this project, I assumed Fair Trade certification meant farmers were getting a fair deal. I was wrong.

Here's what I discovered: Fair Trade certification often costs farmers money they don't have, while middlemen capture most of the premium you pay. The certification focuses on minimum standards rather than maximum impact. Workers who actually pick the beans—the hardest job in the chain—see almost none of the "fair trade" premium.

That's why we bypass certification entirely and focus on direct relationships, transparent pricing, and immediate impact where it's needed most.

Values