Shownotes
The Rwanda Bean Company Story
What Mike discovered when he moved to the United States. [4:21] Why farmers aren’t seeing a lot of the benefits of coffee bean export. [7:39] Research was the first step. [8:30] The objective of Rwanda Bean Company. [9:12] The first shipment of beans and why Mike decided to roast himself. [18:50] Why Rwanda coffee beans are so good. This is a point of differentiation for them. [23:02] Coffee ratings for quality levels. [25:41]The Maine Start Up Experience
Mike describes the Maine Start Up experience. [14:29] Being selected in the final 10 and then winning! [17:20]Business Building Insights
Overcoming doubts as you’re challenged to grow a business. [10:21] The power of sharing your story. [13:18] A bonus tip on how non-buyers can still help you. [20:56]Success Trait
Gaining support from his business partner and the trust and support of the farmers back in Rwanda is what drives Mike to continue on in pursuit of the mission. [28:39]Recommended Reading and Listening
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Contact Links
Website Facebook InstagramIf you found value in this podcast, make sure to subscribe and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. That helps us spread the word to more makers just like you. Thanks! Sue
Transcripts
Hi there.
Speaker:This is gift biz on rapt episode 97.
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:I'm going to do it.
Speaker:So I was so terrified,
Speaker:but they did it anyway.
Speaker:Hi, this is John Lee,
Speaker:Dumas of entrepreneur on fire,
Speaker:and you're listening to gift to biz unwrapped.
Speaker:And now it's time to light it up.
Speaker:Welcome to gift bears on wrapped your source for industry specific
Speaker:insights and advice to develop and grow your business.
Speaker:And now here's your host,
Speaker:Sue Mona height.
Speaker:Before we get into the show,
Speaker:I have a question for you.
Speaker:Do you know that you should be out networking,
Speaker:but you just can't get yourself to do it because it's
Speaker:scary. Are you afraid that you might walk into the room
Speaker:and not know anybody or that you're going to freeze?
Speaker:When you get up to do that infamous elevator speech,
Speaker:where you talk about yourself and your business?
Speaker:Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't need to
Speaker:be scary.
Speaker:If you know what to do to help you with this,
Speaker:I would like to offer you a coffee chat for the
Speaker:price of buying me a cup of coffee.
Speaker:We can sit down through an online video and I'll tell
Speaker:you everything that I know about networking and how I have
Speaker:personally built to multi six figure businesses,
Speaker:primarily through networking to learn more about this opportunity.
Speaker:Just go over to Bitly forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:That's B I T dot L Y forward slash network Ninja.
Speaker:And now let's move on to the show.
Speaker:Hi there it's Sue and welcome to the gift biz unwrapped
Speaker:podcast. Whether you own a brick and mortar store sell online
Speaker:or are just getting started,
Speaker:you'll discover new insight to gain traction and to grow your
Speaker:business. Today.
Speaker:I have joining us.
Speaker:Mike Morgan data of Rwanda bean.
Speaker:Mike was born in Rwanda and immigrated to the U S
Speaker:in 2010,
Speaker:where he launched his business Rwanda bean company supplies,
Speaker:specialty coffee products in the U S and abroad in turn
Speaker:it supports coffee producers by investing profits back to the farms.
Speaker:The company began as an importer of raw coffee and has
Speaker:recently started selling its own private label,
Speaker:roasted coffee products to wholesalers and retail customers.
Speaker:In Maine,
Speaker:aside from running the business,
Speaker:Mike is studying for an MBA and enjoys playing soccer running.
Speaker:And of course the main microbrews.
Speaker:Welcome to the show,
Speaker:Mike, thank you.
Speaker:I am so happy.
Speaker:We were able to arrange being able to get together and
Speaker:we've actually been able to see each other a couple of
Speaker:times. Now I met you in Portland,
Speaker:Maine at the agents of change show.
Speaker:And we recently just got back from the New York now
Speaker:show. So that's super fun.
Speaker:I've gotten a lot of chance to get to know you.
Speaker:So I'm really excited to share all that you're doing with
Speaker:the world.
Speaker:I'm so excited.
Speaker:That's the way it Is tradition with the,
Speaker:I'd like to start Off by having you describe your ideal
Speaker:motivational candle.
Speaker:It's just a little bit of a different way since we're
Speaker:all creators here of getting to know you.
Speaker:So if you were to describe your ideal motivational candle,
Speaker:what color would it be?
Speaker:And what would be the quote on your candle?
Speaker:The Cara will be the sky Bru.
Speaker:I like sky blue because it's kind of a,
Speaker:when it was dark and then it's getting it.
Speaker:People start seeing like a day a day is right.
Speaker:So that's really good because that's how I take it in,
Speaker:in my life.
Speaker:It's like,
Speaker:you always have some feeling that you are going through.
Speaker:If it's a business,
Speaker:when you are starting,
Speaker:you are somewhere in the darkness,
Speaker:you don't know where you're heading.
Speaker:And then as he started unfolding,
Speaker:and then it's that seeing that color.
Speaker:So I X sky blue,
Speaker:And it's like a sky blue.
Speaker:And will even when you look up into the sky,
Speaker:it seems like just unlimited possibilities.
Speaker:And I think also as entrepreneurs,
Speaker:we need to have that optimism.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:that that dream of ours can actually become reality.
Speaker:And that's what we like to do here is show how
Speaker:others people's dreams are forming and how they're building their businesses.
Speaker:So let's talk about that in relationship with you,
Speaker:tell us how the idea of Rwanda bean started The Rwandan
Speaker:being an idea to be from just like Siri.
Speaker:As when I moved to here,
Speaker:like three years ago,
Speaker:when I moved to here,
Speaker:I was so surprised to see like every corner of the
Speaker:city, they were a coffee shop and seeing how people were
Speaker:spending four bucks for a cup of coffee from 6:00 AM
Speaker:to several times a day is shocked me.
Speaker:Somehow. He hit me so bad because I kept shaking the
Speaker:farmers that I have to back your home,
Speaker:who always see coffee as the treasure to them.
Speaker:Because 85% of a population back home in Rwanda,
Speaker:they live on subsistence agriculture and they really work hard to
Speaker:provide the disability.
Speaker:She has coffee.
Speaker:They have,
Speaker:but when I saw how much money people spend on coffee,
Speaker:and then it hit me,
Speaker:I kept wondering why people home.
Speaker:They are so poor.
Speaker:Why they are city poor.
Speaker:If four bucks can feed the whole family back home and
Speaker:people spend it more than two times a day for a
Speaker:cup of coffee,
Speaker:that really didn't give me a piece at all.
Speaker:So that's how the idea of,
Speaker:for one that had been a Kenzie,
Speaker:and I thought I might do something just to build the
Speaker:bridge between the consumer and the farmer.
Speaker:That's how Rhonda beanie was born.
Speaker:And so you really had no idea that we are crazy
Speaker:while we're in America.
Speaker:I'll just call it American for now.
Speaker:But you had no idea that we were so crazy about
Speaker:our coffee here.
Speaker:No, no about that.
Speaker:That for drink tea,
Speaker:Africa teas,
Speaker:or those they drink,
Speaker:but they don't drink coffee.
Speaker:Now, when I moved here,
Speaker:I didn't drink coffee that much,
Speaker:sometime over their home to proofing coffee for each people or
Speaker:I don't know,
Speaker:but it,
Speaker:it is strange how they are vesting and then they don't
Speaker:get to drink it.
Speaker:So we have just someone that's standing there,
Speaker:they have this kind of understanding.
Speaker:We say,
Speaker:Oh, coffee is not good for your heart.
Speaker:Coffee is not good for your sleep.
Speaker:You can sleep if you don't drink coffee.
Speaker:So they try to stay away from it.
Speaker:Typically when you're in a certain business,
Speaker:if you're consuming it all the time,
Speaker:then you're kind of like consuming your own profit Actuary.
Speaker:Maybe that might been true because 99% of the coffee that
Speaker:we drink here in America is imported.
Speaker:So that means maybe the buyers keep staring the farmers.
Speaker:Hey, if you drink it,
Speaker:you will stay awake.
Speaker:So they can probably get enough to bring here.
Speaker:Oh, that's a good idea.
Speaker:And we have found that there are health benefits to coffee
Speaker:too. So Actually is good for you.
Speaker:It's a good for you.
Speaker:But yeah.
Speaker:So 85% of Rwanda business is agriculture.
Speaker:But even though we have this obsession now with coffee here
Speaker:and we're importing so much,
Speaker:why are the farmers still not seeing the benefits of that?
Speaker:It has to be with how the coffee business is done
Speaker:in general.
Speaker:So those pharma,
Speaker:most of the countries where the coffee come from,
Speaker:most of those countries are underdeveloped the country and the,
Speaker:some of those people,
Speaker:they don't really have the resources and the ability to connect
Speaker:to themselves,
Speaker:to the consumer market.
Speaker:So it take what's the cause of from them providing the
Speaker:cost, but still very poor because there is that big gap
Speaker:between them and the,
Speaker:to the reward,
Speaker:the who consume their coffees.
Speaker:That's what I think it has to be done with them
Speaker:being poor.
Speaker:So what have been your first steps to take care of
Speaker:that problem,
Speaker:to be able to funnel more money back to them?
Speaker:So what I did,
Speaker:I'm from Rwanda.
Speaker:So I contacted a few friends back there.
Speaker:So I did the research.
Speaker:I asked the farmers,
Speaker:I said,
Speaker:we started talking on the phone,
Speaker:they telling me the problem.
Speaker:And I realized it,
Speaker:do what I was thinking,
Speaker:which is then miss connection between them and the consumer is
Speaker:the problem because they said they coffee through all those middle
Speaker:men and everyone there wanted,
Speaker:they cuts and I don't blame them,
Speaker:but that's what you have to do to be doing with
Speaker:the farmers,
Speaker:not getting more back.
Speaker:So I rise.
Speaker:Maybe I can start something that I can bring the courses
Speaker:straight from them to here so that when they,
Speaker:my company was born that to what the pup was.
Speaker:Well, that was the mission.
Speaker:That was the objective.
Speaker:It sounds like what you're doing,
Speaker:Mike is you're eliminating one of the steps in the process.
Speaker:You're eliminating one of the middle people that are part of
Speaker:the chain from getting it from the farmers,
Speaker:into the States and to the consumer.
Speaker:Yeah. That's what I do.
Speaker:And that's how I breathe with that.
Speaker:We've we bring in cost directly from the farmers.
Speaker:You give us the opportunity to pay them more.
Speaker:But also we built that relationship.
Speaker:We want to be able to have a consumer really connected
Speaker:with those farmers and they know what are we trying to
Speaker:do with them.
Speaker:So it's been really tough,
Speaker:but it's coming together right now.
Speaker:Wonderful. So it sounds like you're on the way,
Speaker:but how did it start?
Speaker:What were the first things or some path that led you
Speaker:to where you are now On the beginning?
Speaker:It's not easy.
Speaker:It's really tough when you know,
Speaker:that is the problem and you really want to do something
Speaker:to fix it,
Speaker:or you just wanna try something and sometime you are not
Speaker:ready to go because you see there is,
Speaker:it's not possible to do it.
Speaker:And, and I dunno,
Speaker:and then somehow you keep having that feelings that are bothering
Speaker:you, that I can do this.
Speaker:I can try it.
Speaker:And then you get,
Speaker:as you know,
Speaker:as an immigrant,
Speaker:I don't have money.
Speaker:I don't have it.
Speaker:I'm like,
Speaker:how am I going to do this?
Speaker:It was so,
Speaker:so hard.
Speaker:What are you saying that you were getting to places you
Speaker:were really passionate about it,
Speaker:but then there were times when you're just like,
Speaker:this looks like it's too hard.
Speaker:Maybe I should just not do it,
Speaker:but then you said,
Speaker:no, I'm going to do it.
Speaker:And you just kept going.
Speaker:Yes. And I want to point that out gift biz listeners,
Speaker:this is common as you're proceeding,
Speaker:you reach obstacles and you get to the point where you
Speaker:say, Oh man,
Speaker:I just,
Speaker:I don't know a solution.
Speaker:I don't know a way or a way around this.
Speaker:And that is the point.
Speaker:That is a separator between being successful and just letting what
Speaker:you wanted to do,
Speaker:fade by the wayside,
Speaker:because that's where most people will drop off.
Speaker:And so Mike is talking about how,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:when he gets to this point,
Speaker:no, he might have these natural feelings,
Speaker:but no,
Speaker:he stays on the road.
Speaker:He keeps going and he finds a solution.
Speaker:So tell us about that then.
Speaker:How did you overcome of this?
Speaker:So the way I overcame overdoses,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:so you need Wanda.
Speaker:We went through a road,
Speaker:crowding men like family,
Speaker:crowding, frenzy,
Speaker:aunties, or Rwandans.
Speaker:And then I kept it in my head.
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:because you talk sometime you talk to people,
Speaker:they're like Starbucks is dunk donuts or does a bigger coffee
Speaker:shop, coffee business.
Speaker:It's a tough when you,
Speaker:I don't know how you came into this.
Speaker:And I wasn't going to open a coffee shop where people
Speaker:will come to drink it.
Speaker:That's an at that rainfall.
Speaker:So maybe one day I will do,
Speaker:but if I can do this,
Speaker:how can I blame the farmers?
Speaker:How can I say the farmers can do it themselves?
Speaker:And then I was like,
Speaker:I have this opportunity to be in America.
Speaker:I will just try it and try to be the voice.
Speaker:And I know what they are going through as tough.
Speaker:So I ended up,
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:you have to start to weave for me.
Speaker:And maybe I would inspire somewhat other farmers to Daytona.
Speaker:They all,
Speaker:that's how I overcame.
Speaker:Then I started talking to friends about it.
Speaker:I started talking to my classmates,
Speaker:my professor that's how our,
Speaker:or the idea came together.
Speaker:And somehow,
Speaker:I don't know when you're sharing this story.
Speaker:When are you sharing what you thinking?
Speaker:Somehow you never know who you will get to.
Speaker:So somehow I went to one person who was like,
Speaker:Hey, there is an event that happens in important.
Speaker:It's called the many startup week,
Speaker:many startup week creation week in foreign demand.
Speaker:So he said,
Speaker:people go there once a year in the summer.
Speaker:And then they pitch their idea.
Speaker:You should look into it.
Speaker:So that's how the idea of going to pitch.
Speaker:And they pitched it in front of a couple hundred people.
Speaker:Oh my gosh,
Speaker:I only have one minute to pitch to say how this
Speaker:can be a business.
Speaker:And the people have to work for you to get in
Speaker:the top 10 company who would get mentors and who would
Speaker:get somewhat at the canceling to figure out how they can
Speaker:help you shape your idea,
Speaker:becoming and help you having the business plan,
Speaker:how you can execute your idea.
Speaker:Wait. So how many people presented?
Speaker:They were probably during that time,
Speaker:they were like probably like 50,
Speaker:60, 80 people who were presenting the idea.
Speaker:And so you get to go on stage for one minute,
Speaker:just one minute,
Speaker:one minute.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:Then people have to vote for you.
Speaker:So that's what happened.
Speaker:And I went there.
Speaker:I was swearing.
Speaker:And at that time right now,
Speaker:I will say my English is better.
Speaker:At that time.
Speaker:My English was the worst one.
Speaker:Yeah. Before could barely hear me with my heavy accent.
Speaker:So I was like,
Speaker:I'm going to do it.
Speaker:So I was so terrified,
Speaker:but I did it anyway.
Speaker:Good for you.
Speaker:Yay. We're all clapping for you,
Speaker:Mike. That had to be so scary.
Speaker:Good. I had never talked in front of a hundred before
Speaker:I put that.
Speaker:So I was so terrified.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:So what happened?
Speaker:I think we all know,
Speaker:but tell us,
Speaker:tell us,
Speaker:Got, I got bought at the top,
Speaker:in the top 10 people who have good ideas.
Speaker:And at the end of the week,
Speaker:I was the winner.
Speaker:It goes from 10 to just one To tend to top
Speaker:three. So I was the first one and then they waited
Speaker:around now and then they were the third one.
Speaker:Oh my gosh.
Speaker:That is so exciting.
Speaker:And think about this.
Speaker:You had every reason not to do it,
Speaker:right? You could have had the excuse that,
Speaker:Oh my English.
Speaker:Isn't so good.
Speaker:You could have had the excuse that,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:it's a one-minute I don't talk well in front of people.
Speaker:I'm scared.
Speaker:I'm not going to do it,
Speaker:but you instead put yourself out there and look,
Speaker:look what happened.
Speaker:W after you pitch somewhere that people will go good.
Speaker:They teach you the idea.
Speaker:And then you are like,
Speaker:Oh man,
Speaker:I don't have a chance.
Speaker:Somewhat adapted was the idea.
Speaker:They were so great.
Speaker:They were so good.
Speaker:They were so organized.
Speaker:So planned.
Speaker:I was like,
Speaker:man, at least I tried.
Speaker:And that's what I was thinking.
Speaker:It's so,
Speaker:and the way people vote for you when you're always seeing
Speaker:people coming to give him me,
Speaker:they vote because they have to,
Speaker:you have to hold something.
Speaker:They would,
Speaker:everyone put in a sticker saying his,
Speaker:voting your idea.
Speaker:And then they have to count those,
Speaker:the idea at the end of the day,
Speaker:because the public was the one,
Speaker:the public,
Speaker:the judge,
Speaker:or adapt content.
Speaker:They were the one who were voting.
Speaker:So even for me,
Speaker:I would vote to my salary for,
Speaker:I will report to someone else.
Speaker:The idea that I think it was great for me,
Speaker:but they wanted my safe.
Speaker:Okay. Of course you did.
Speaker:So you only get one vote though.
Speaker:You only get one vote.
Speaker:So if no one did like your idea,
Speaker:you were the only to get one vote.
Speaker:So, Wow.
Speaker:And so what did you do when you found out you
Speaker:won? Well,
Speaker:you don't just want it like that.
Speaker:You keep,
Speaker:during that week,
Speaker:you keep working with those mentors.
Speaker:They help you do your projection.
Speaker:They hate Pew.
Speaker:Have your startup website.
Speaker:There is people out there who are waiting to have the
Speaker:skill is they are professional.
Speaker:They, they,
Speaker:some of them,
Speaker:they are a designer.
Speaker:This organization is so good.
Speaker:Do they bring out to people who have other jobs?
Speaker:You are a professional professors,
Speaker:the managers,
Speaker:the CEO of the companies,
Speaker:and then they bring them.
Speaker:So they give you the skills.
Speaker:They can help.
Speaker:You scare your idea too,
Speaker:to the poet,
Speaker:way up at the end of the week.
Speaker:If you have money,
Speaker:you can open the door for your business.
Speaker:Okay? So everyone ends up being a winner,
Speaker:really cause everyone gets more educated and more knowledgeable and all
Speaker:that. Only the,
Speaker:for those 10 company.
Speaker:So not everyone only for those 10 company and those 10,
Speaker:the company at the end of the week,
Speaker:they have to present.
Speaker:And after they present,
Speaker:that's when the judge,
Speaker:the board of the judge who will report will be the
Speaker:top three.
Speaker:So that's how I won.
Speaker:I didn't,
Speaker:I didn't win any money,
Speaker:but at least I won those people,
Speaker:gave me confidence to see that my idea was good.
Speaker:And then I had to work harder to figure out how
Speaker:to bring in the coffee.
Speaker:So in a few months,
Speaker:I was able to bring in the first shipment of food
Speaker:bags. And then we started the firm.
Speaker:They adjust by setting the green beans,
Speaker:but we realized the green beans.
Speaker:It was it.
Speaker:I could not,
Speaker:it was like across the market because you only have to
Speaker:sell it to the roasters.
Speaker:So all the time I meet people,
Speaker:I tell them about my idea or people who have been
Speaker:in news about me.
Speaker:They would say,
Speaker:so where can we buy a coffee?
Speaker:Where can we buy a coffee?
Speaker:How can we support?
Speaker:So that's when I realized if I can come up with
Speaker:my own in it,
Speaker:roasted dribble,
Speaker:and then set it on Ryan.
Speaker:And then I would have valuable to have in market and
Speaker:to be able to sell it to anyone.
Speaker:That's how I realized maybe every,
Speaker:anyone can also participate fast.
Speaker:If you want to help,
Speaker:you can buy coffee.
Speaker:If you don't like to drink coffee,
Speaker:if you don't drink coffee,
Speaker:my bite for a gift for someone.
Speaker:So that's how I started.
Speaker:That's how I'm here.
Speaker:I want to stop you here because you said something.
Speaker:When we were together yesterday,
Speaker:we did a Periscope together on it yesterday.
Speaker:And this is an excellent example.
Speaker:And I think we all forget about this.
Speaker:You taught me this yesterday,
Speaker:Mike, we were talking about,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:you're just mentioning here and I'm only stopping you here because
Speaker:I think it's pertinent to the rest of the story.
Speaker:Your progress has been through face to face contact with people
Speaker:doing that really scary presentation and entering and seeing if you
Speaker:could win.
Speaker:But also you found out about that because you were sharing
Speaker:and talking about what your vision was with a lot of
Speaker:people. Now you're at the point where you do have a
Speaker:product here.
Speaker:And I thought you did something so special that we always
Speaker:forget about this.
Speaker:When we were talking,
Speaker:you made the comment that people,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:they're not the coffee,
Speaker:cause they're not a coffee shop or something like that,
Speaker:but they want to help.
Speaker:So they ask you,
Speaker:how can I help?
Speaker:And what do you say to them?
Speaker:I always tell them,
Speaker:Hey, can help.
Speaker:They way they can help is so you might not drink
Speaker:coffee. You might not buy coffee,
Speaker:but you right.
Speaker:What are we do?
Speaker:You like our mission?
Speaker:You like what I try to accomplish?
Speaker:So the way you can help is to go to your
Speaker:friends about your friend,
Speaker:about me,
Speaker:ask me your Rocco,
Speaker:that there is a coffee out there.
Speaker:She has coffee.
Speaker:We've a good thing that is trying to accomplish good things.
Speaker:So maybe ask them what you want that coffee in it,
Speaker:that in the Oracle shops.
Speaker:So that's how I always tell them.
Speaker:That's how they can help me.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:we don't try to make these podcasts salesy.
Speaker:So that's not the point here.
Speaker:The point is what Mike does is he suggests or asks
Speaker:people to take some type of an action,
Speaker:like to ask for action.
Speaker:If people are interested in helping,
Speaker:he tells them how they can do it.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:they can by-product from him or go spread the word about
Speaker:my product to your local coffee shop.
Speaker:So for you gift biz listeners with your products,
Speaker:when you're networking,
Speaker:it's not just buy from me,
Speaker:but also what's that extension.
Speaker:What's another way people can help you share the name.
Speaker:I'm looking at getting my products into local boutiques,
Speaker:whatever it might be.
Speaker:Sometimes people just can't make that extension.
Speaker:You have to tell them what to do.
Speaker:Similarly, you might have to tell them,
Speaker:go like my Facebook page or click on my Instagram,
Speaker:LinkedIn comment for me on a photo that you really like
Speaker:or something like that.
Speaker:And when people are asked and given a clear path to
Speaker:do something many times,
Speaker:they do.
Speaker:So Mike,
Speaker:it was really great.
Speaker:When you said that yesterday,
Speaker:I'm like,
Speaker:yes, obviously,
Speaker:why don't we talk about this more?
Speaker:So thank you for that.
Speaker:Thank you.
Speaker:So Mike,
Speaker:let's talk a little bit more about the product.
Speaker:Now we talk about that.
Speaker:A lot of the beans that are coming into America are
Speaker:being imported.
Speaker:What's the difference with the Rwanda bean and why is it
Speaker:different and why is it better?
Speaker:So why should people choose yours versus other beans?
Speaker:Fast is good coffee.
Speaker:It's really good coffee.
Speaker:I'm not saying that other people have bad coffee,
Speaker:but Rwanda bean,
Speaker:we have really natural,
Speaker:good coffee,
Speaker:One coffee,
Speaker:or the flavors from different regions,
Speaker:different from my toes.
Speaker:It has to be done with their location.
Speaker:They have to be done with them.
Speaker:You don't want a mint.
Speaker:So that's how the coffee flavor,
Speaker:that's how it comes from.
Speaker:So if you are in a country with higher evasion or
Speaker:we have a tropical kind of crime in its natural way,
Speaker:so how will you treat the beans?
Speaker:That's what you have to be done with the flavor of
Speaker:the coffee.
Speaker:So you need Wanda.
Speaker:We located in a,
Speaker:our evasion it's 2000 to 8,000
Speaker:feet and we have these natural volcanics.
Speaker:So that's provided IQ,
Speaker:volcanic soil,
Speaker:which is the rich for the plantation.
Speaker:And we also have they rain for.
Speaker:So they don't,
Speaker:most of the time,
Speaker:most of the farmers,
Speaker:they just use it,
Speaker:the rain for water.
Speaker:So everything is in natural and it's,
Speaker:that's what you needed to have a really good coffee.
Speaker:And then you have to be done.
Speaker:How we take our vested,
Speaker:how, what our day differ at the farmers speak the right
Speaker:beans that they are supposed to be picked.
Speaker:They do dry it enough.
Speaker:They do cover it when it's raining,
Speaker:they, how they do dry it or that things.
Speaker:Do we make sure all our coffee too,
Speaker:hands on coffee.
Speaker:And then when it comes to here,
Speaker:we ship it in the pro bugs.
Speaker:Those that the bugs that cause the beans to be contaminated
Speaker:because we ship our coffee in the ship.
Speaker:So there is all those oceany smell and stuff.
Speaker:So the bags we bring,
Speaker:any the beans,
Speaker:the protected,
Speaker:the beans.
Speaker:And when we,
Speaker:the coffee gets here,
Speaker:we roast our coffee on a small batch and those are
Speaker:small, but yeah,
Speaker:really good because it can control your beans.
Speaker:I'm not good on roasting because we have someone nurses who
Speaker:do it,
Speaker:who have real experience in this.
Speaker:So we always have this amazing the coffee or the people
Speaker:say it's a really good cook.
Speaker:Right? And the thing I didn't know,
Speaker:which I've learned as we've just been together.
Speaker:And you know,
Speaker:you've talked more about your business is how much it's similar
Speaker:to the wine industry,
Speaker:where you have a professional,
Speaker:educated taster who actually rates the beans.
Speaker:Yes, we have a good friend of us.
Speaker:His name is Matt.
Speaker:And he will always,
Speaker:when we have the heart vesting,
Speaker:he have done it for us this last couple years.
Speaker:And he always tests the beans.
Speaker:He, he be honest about it.
Speaker:He has knowledge to do his global grader.
Speaker:Of course he,
Speaker:so he can tell us where we are rated in the
Speaker:work to be done,
Speaker:to be able to have a good read.
Speaker:So it's been really helpful.
Speaker:So we always bring in samples and then he always try
Speaker:to help us make that kind of test and decide,
Speaker:As I remembered you describing and telling me it's a blind
Speaker:sample, like it's up against three other types of coffee.
Speaker:And you just don't know until he turns the cards over
Speaker:with the scores,
Speaker:which is yours and where it's ranking.
Speaker:And he doesn't know either,
Speaker:right when he's tasting,
Speaker:he doesn't know which one is yours versus all the No,
Speaker:because actuary,
Speaker:sometime we don't even score higher than the other course,
Speaker:because like this last one we did the last two week,
Speaker:I chose another course.
Speaker:That actually was also from Rwanda.
Speaker:But it wasn't from the farmers that we were testing.
Speaker:We are not carrying that coffee.
Speaker:So this is really good.
Speaker:And I didn't care.
Speaker:It was the money,
Speaker:but that's how the procedure have to be done.
Speaker:You have to be honest.
Speaker:And then you would have say,
Speaker:this is what I like.
Speaker:And then add at that people who are there,
Speaker:they were like,
Speaker:this is what I like.
Speaker:They added like maybe eight to six rounds of those,
Speaker:the different coffee.
Speaker:And at the end he waited,
Speaker:Oh, he will regret the coffee based on the med,
Speaker:the body,
Speaker:the flavor,
Speaker:all those kinds of stuff.
Speaker:And then he will regret them.
Speaker:And then he will say,
Speaker:okay, you have this kind of note,
Speaker:which might be eight,
Speaker:five, three,
Speaker:eight, something.
Speaker:So all that time,
Speaker:he told me I really see the running this,
Speaker:but he said,
Speaker:when you are your is rating from eighties up,
Speaker:you are ready to the right truck.
Speaker:That's a really good coffee.
Speaker:So you should keep working hard to find it in the
Speaker:nineties or whatever.
Speaker:When do you get in the nineties?
Speaker:Everyone is fighting for your coffee.
Speaker:So that's my goal.
Speaker:That's maybe as we move forward,
Speaker:that's I try to figure out in our project of working
Speaker:with our farmers,
Speaker:how we can help them or be more,
Speaker:more sustainable in the beer,
Speaker:but provide really good coffee.
Speaker:So Mike,
Speaker:we're going to move now into our reflection section.
Speaker:And I think this is going to be really interesting because
Speaker:being from a different country,
Speaker:how you're going to answer some of these questions.
Speaker:So I'm really looking forward to this.
Speaker:If you were to talk about one thing,
Speaker:that's kind of a natural trait for you that you have
Speaker:drawn upon during this whole experience,
Speaker:what would that be?
Speaker:I would say we are starting and we didn't want to
Speaker:push this far as much as we can.
Speaker:So I will say my business partner,
Speaker:his name is Nick
He has been inspiration.
Speaker:He teach me how to be really how you have to
Speaker:be disciplined in running a company.
Speaker:He also supported me,
Speaker:but also people the way I like to talk to people
Speaker:and they always give me that kind of from what division.
Speaker:And even if we are in a tough situation where we
Speaker:are still fighting,
Speaker:being in this competitive market,
Speaker:but to put there always is good.
Speaker:This is good.
Speaker:I really like your mission.
Speaker:So you have good coffee does that.
Speaker:And then it,
Speaker:the farmers also,
Speaker:they are,
Speaker:I am from there.
Speaker:I'm from those two,
Speaker:those, the farmers.
Speaker:And I'm one of them.
Speaker:I know what kind of rice they live.
Speaker:The most thing that make me happy,
Speaker:happiest to put a smile on someone's face.
Speaker:So when I talk to them,
Speaker:when I see how safe they have been made,
Speaker:they hope they have been me.
Speaker:The trust we have with each other,
Speaker:with the way we talk every morning in the foreigner attending
Speaker:to me,
Speaker:Monica, we are going to have vest this mud and the
Speaker:sub, even beside them,
Speaker:they, I also add the farmers that I'm not working with
Speaker:them right now.
Speaker:Who have,
Speaker:who through social media who have contacted me,
Speaker:who are like,
Speaker:like, can you buy the coffee from me,
Speaker:this coming season?
Speaker:And it's sad when I say I'm so right now I
Speaker:don't have a power and the capacity to do it,
Speaker:but they stay in touch somehow.
Speaker:Or we be a book to buy coffee from down the
Speaker:road. Right.
Speaker:As you grow,
Speaker:will you just saying that you talk to people in Rwanda
Speaker:every day,
Speaker:Every day,
Speaker:every day,
Speaker:which are all those pictures you see on we've of course
Speaker:we've been,
Speaker:we get from,
Speaker:I get them from the farmers.
Speaker:So they send it to their coffee's almost ready.
Speaker:Are you coming to buy from us?
Speaker:And then our like,
Speaker:Oh God,
Speaker:I wish that you can say,
Speaker:then I can buy from You will,
Speaker:it's coming.
Speaker:It's coming.
Speaker:Look, your business is only three years old.
Speaker:You know,
Speaker:it's building and it's growing and you see that there's a
Speaker:market here.
Speaker:So, and your packaging is beautiful.
Speaker:We didn't get a chance to really talk about that a
Speaker:lot here.
Speaker:But GIF is listeners.
Speaker:You can go over when this is on the show notes
Speaker:page and you'll be able to see the packaging it's spectacular.
Speaker:But I also,
Speaker:Mike, what you're talking about is so interesting.
Speaker:It kind of gave me shivers over here a little bit,
Speaker:because your initial mission is really helping the farmers back in
Speaker:Rwanda. So it's people helping people.
Speaker:But while you're here trying to realize that mission,
Speaker:you're calling on people,
Speaker:you're sharing your stories,
Speaker:face-to-face with people.
Speaker:So it's people helping people here too.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:people are helping you so that you can help the Rwandan
Speaker:farmers. So it's really cool how that all flows together.
Speaker:Yeah. That's who I always start with the work hard.
Speaker:I really do the best I can to be able to
Speaker:keep that consistency.
Speaker:The quality of the builds we provide,
Speaker:because people are,
Speaker:are the ones actually who are pushing.
Speaker:I mean,
Speaker:the farmers they want to say they do,
Speaker:like, what do we,
Speaker:we are trying to accomplish.
Speaker:And then if you put there,
Speaker:like coffee is good,
Speaker:whatever you're doing is silly.
Speaker:There are ourselves.
Speaker:So the energy from the people is that is pushing amazing.
Speaker:What you have made to me to be who I am
Speaker:right now.
Speaker:I believe that.
Speaker:And it also reconfirms that your product is good.
Speaker:I love every single thing about this story.
Speaker:Tell me,
Speaker:Mike, is there a book that you've read or listened to
Speaker:lately that you'd like to share with our listeners?
Speaker:Yes. Right Now I'm reading a book or the book was
Speaker:worth in 2004,
Speaker:but really good book.
Speaker:It's called the purpose drive enterprise.
Speaker:It's right.
Speaker:And by Rick Warren,
Speaker:it's still,
Speaker:they talk about the,
Speaker:how you have to be in the business world,
Speaker:how you have to be good to each other,
Speaker:how you have to live a really focused and the meaningful
Speaker:life. And I like the book.
Speaker:I really like it so much.
Speaker:You know what?
Speaker:My mom bought me that book right after it was published,
Speaker:she read it and she bought a book.
Speaker:She bought like five or six of them and she was
Speaker:giving them out to different people.
Speaker:And she gave me one.
Speaker:When you say that,
Speaker:I automatically think about my mom.
Speaker:Yeah. Actually I got it from a friend two years ago.
Speaker:I never had the cyst today.
Speaker:I always,
Speaker:you know,
Speaker:I usually like a smaller book,
Speaker:so that looks like really big.
Speaker:And that was always crazy.
Speaker:And then somehow I started daily reading it and I read
Speaker:the first page,
Speaker:the second page and the sense I have been through this
Speaker:kind of complex life,
Speaker:different culture.
Speaker:And then it have been really good.
Speaker:The book.
Speaker:Excellent. Yeah.
Speaker:Well, and give his listeners,
Speaker:if you have not been following the podcast yet,
Speaker:I just want to make mention that just like you're listening
Speaker:to all of our content here today.
Speaker:I think even Mike was talking about how he's listening to
Speaker:this book through audio versus the traditional book.
Speaker:I've teamed up with audible so you can get a book
Speaker:like this for free on me.
Speaker:And we know now that the purpose driven life is available
Speaker:on audible.
Speaker:If you're interested,
Speaker:just go to gift biz,
Speaker:book.com and you can make a selection.
Speaker:That's gift facebook.com.
Speaker:Mike, I now want to invite you to dare to dream.
Speaker:I'd like to present you with a virtual gift.
Speaker:It's a magical box containing unlimited possibilities for your future.
Speaker:So this is your dream or your goal of almost unreachable
Speaker:Heights that you would wish to obtain.
Speaker:Please accept this gift and open it in our presence.
Speaker:What would be inside your box?
Speaker:It will be books of follow-up all kinds of people hit
Speaker:it to support each other,
Speaker:to help each other.
Speaker:That's my thing.
Speaker:That's what really did make me so happy.
Speaker:A big box of happy people.
Speaker:Yes. Love it.
Speaker:Because that goes right along with what you're talking about in
Speaker:terms of enriching the lives of others all along the way.
Speaker:And I really want you guys to go over and take
Speaker:a look at Mike's website and I'm not sure I know
Speaker:you're doing a new website.
Speaker:I'm not sure if it's going to be up right.
Speaker:When this goes live.
Speaker:We're going to be sitting in February of 2017.
Speaker:But I think probably by March,
Speaker:your new will be opt to,
Speaker:and it's beautiful.
Speaker:It gives a lot of stories and visibility in terms of
Speaker:the Rwanda people and coffee and all of that.
Speaker:But I also know there's other places where people can go
Speaker:and take a look at what your business is all about,
Speaker:right? Mike?
Speaker:Yes, that is,
Speaker:we have Instagram.
Speaker:It's Rwanda being a company.
Speaker:You can go there in the photo as,
Speaker:and we really keep you updated on what we are doing.
Speaker:That is also Facebook page.
Speaker:It's one that being a company,
Speaker:you can go there.
Speaker:We always try to share things with people.
Speaker:We try to stay connected with them.
Speaker:So please go there.
Speaker:And did I go up cages?
Speaker:And the stay tuned,
Speaker:Stay tuned.
Speaker:That's for sure.
Speaker:Our Mike is headed for big things.
Speaker:I know that.
Speaker:So, and also give his listeners just in case you didn't
Speaker:catch that.
Speaker:Remember there's a show notes,
Speaker:page attached.
Speaker:So any links or anything else that you need,
Speaker:you can find over there at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com. All right,
Speaker:Mike, I know you're still new in New York and you
Speaker:want to jump back over to that New York.
Speaker:Now show I left a couple of days before the show
Speaker:concluded. So we're not going to take any more of your
Speaker:time for now.
Speaker:Your story is so heartwarming.
Speaker:I've met you like I'd said it in the beginning a
Speaker:couple of times now you're so genuine.
Speaker:So endearing your passion is so great.
Speaker:And I look forward to seeing you progress and I know
Speaker:you're going to be super successful.
Speaker:May your candle always burn bright?
Speaker:Thank you so much.
Speaker:Thank you for this.
Speaker:Where are you in your business building journey,
Speaker:whether you're just starting out or already running a business and
Speaker:you want to know your setup for success.
Speaker:Find out by taking the gift biz quiz,
Speaker:access the quiz from your computer at bit dot L Y
Speaker:slash a gift biz quiz or from your phone like texting
Speaker:gift
the next episode.
Speaker:Today's show is sponsored by the ribbon print company.
Speaker:Looking for a new income source for your business.
Speaker:Customization is more popular now than ever brand your products with
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Speaker:Perfect, Jessica,
Speaker:right at checkout or across media company.
Speaker:For more information after you listened to the show,
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