We admire the determination of our partners Komal and Akshay to make coffee a viable way of life for themselves and the region. After their time in the UK, Komal and Akshay returned to Akshay’s family farm in India to restore it and forge alliances with a wide range of very diverse growers in the region. “We weren’t just looking for partners,” says Komal, “we were looking for passionate coffee growers who understood the complexities of this business.” With prices low and people leaving farms to work in cities, their proposition had to be based on higher prices and innovations (both technological and in (regenerative) agriculture). Through hard work and determination, they are proving that coffee can create a better future for the people in their region and for the environment.
Fuadi plays many roles and wears many hats: he is a process designer, an importer, a dry miller, and a financier. He's also an academic and a great risk-taker. Thai coffee was relatively unknown in the international coffee scene before Fuadi and Jane created Beanspire in 2013. The increased production, accompanied by its processing innovation, is almost entirely thanks to Thai specialty roasters and the vibrant third-wave coffee scene. In fact, Thailand only exported 1% of its entire coffee production to the international market when Fuadi stepped in. Poised to bring these jewels to the specialty market, we cannot help but assume today's 10% is thanks to Beanspire.
A native of Pangalengan, Asep was the last of 5 brothers and sisters. Growing up he wanted to be Veterinarian but their family couldn’t afford it. After completing the minimum requirements after his high school, he was able to join as an assistant doctor at a dairy factory where he worked for over 30 years. He then worked in dairy processing for 5 years thereafter. Asep had roughly 0.8 hectares of coffee in early 2000 and didn’t particularly pay attention to it since Pangalengan was a dairy heavy origin. Once he decided to retire, he knew how he was going to spend the rest of his life - with coffee, not just drinking it but growing coffee.
