A Full Circle Partnership
The water kettle is warming as Matti Foncha steps inside the factory. He's met with smiling faces, warm welcomes, and a pour over coffee made with the very beans that he grew 5,000 miles away in Cameroon, West Africa. Matti's finally got the chance to do some traveling stateside again and is paying his first visit to our Moka Origins factory - just one of his stops to see the many businesses that source beans from his coffee cooperative and processing company, Cameroon Boyo. Watch the video here to hear more of Matti's story.
Matti left his corporate career on a mission to spend the rest of his life doing something that was more meaningful to him and that would make a difference in the lives of others. Seeing farming communities struggle in poverty led him to become a coffee farmer and an ambassador that advocates for the rights and wellbeing of small holder farmers. "If I can be the small farmer for whom I'm trying to bring a voice, and I know how to give myself that voice, than that process that I've developed for myself will be a suitable model to take to any other farmer."
Cameroon Boyo Coffee Co-op
The team at Cameroon Boyo Coffee Co-op focus on training farmers to grow and process higher quality coffee, connecting them with buyers in the market through direct trade, and ensuring they are earning what they deserve for their hard work and quality product. He says the model of direct trade we practice together is impactful because it allows a fair share of value to return to the professionals at the start of the supply chain, which is not common practice in the industry.
The farm team at Boyo trains farmers on farming practices and proper coffee processing
Developing a Fair and Transparent Supply Chain
As two organizations working to positively impact farmers, we agree that when trade starts with collaboration and understanding, everyone in the supply chain can be treated and compensated equitably. Matti told us, "We build relationships which become unbreakable and that is very important. [Starting Cameroon Boyo] it wasn't driven by coffee, it was driven by the social goals that we're trying to achieve."
Farmer holds a bucket of freshly picked coffee cherries
After chatting over a cup of coffee, Matti and our team head back to our warehouse where exciting things are happening. After months of supply issues and shipping delays, our long-awaited, largest-ever shipment of coffee beans has finally arrived from Cameroon Boyo Coffee and Matti himself is here to help receive it. We couldn't have planned a better perfectly-timed quarter-ton coincidence!
Matti stands next to bags of Cameroon coffee beans
A bag of Cameroon Boyo coffee beans
Celebrating Five Years of Roasting Ethically Sourced Beans
The experience was meaningful as we celebrate our 5th year anniversary of roasting ethically sourced, specialty coffee and cacao, the fact that we are buying more beans and supporting more farmers than ever before, and that we got to share in this with our beloved Cameroonian farming partner.
Some of the Cameroon Boyo Farm Team
The best news yet? Matti returned to Cameroon Boyo with bags of freshly roasted coffee for the whole team to taste. We absolutely love to see the products we make return to the place of origin and be enjoyed by those that grew the beans. It brings our specialty coffee craft full circle and really anchors our mission to put farmers first.
Matti and Boyo farm team members enjoying coffee brewed from their beans