Maria witnessed firsthand the struggle to maintain a living through coffee. When she moved to the U.S. and saw that coffee shops sold a cup for more than $5, she knew someone had to do something to help her community back home. But it's not until she brought John to Colombia that the two of them started brainstorming on a company that would provide a high-end customer experience and takes care of its farmers.

Their passion for uplifting others has helped them build a flourishing business and overcome small business obstacles in a crowded market multiple times.They’re on a journey to create the first international impact-driven coffee company.

If you roam around the bay area’s specialty cafes, you’ll have the chance to find an $8 pour over of a [at times questionable] specialty coffee. Meanwhile, in Colombia, farmers are stuck in a poverty loop selling their coffees 20% below margin. We’ve spent 4 years traveling around the country, researching and interviewing both successful and struggling farmers, to understand the current chain, exploring all distributions opportunities and the answer has multiple folds.

The majority of Colombian coffee farmers rely heavily on an outdated coffee chain. Each 10 steps below are considerably chipping away pieces of their revenue. Since they also go through cooperative, the price at which they sell their coffee is influenced by worldwide production; the more coffee produced by industrialized countries, the lower the selling price. This is overly simplified, as there are some other complex financial mechanics at play but these uncertainties and fluctuations push farmers to exploit their lands, lowering the production quality, and forcing them to switch to unsustainable practices just to make ends meet.