Gratitude Brewed: The Seven Farming Partnerships That Make Every Cup Possible
This Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting not on harvest tables or pumpkin pies, but on coffee farms scattered across three continents. On early mornings in Brazilian fields, mountain slopes in Guatemala, and roasting facilities right here in the Bay Area where connections are made over shared cups and shared values.
Exceptional coffee doesn't start in a roastery. It starts with relationships built on trust, fair treatment, and a commitment to doing things right. Over the past five years, I've been blessed to build partnerships with seven farming families who don't just grow exceptional coffee—they embody the values that make Unleashed Coffee what it is today.
This is their story. This is our gratitude.
Where It All Began: William Murad, Fazenda Mandacaru, Brazil
As a consumer, just prior to the pandemic, I was searching for something most coffee companies couldn't deliver: exceptional farm-direct peaberry beans. That search led me to Unleashed Coffee, then owned by farmer, William Murad from Fazenda Mandacaru in Brazil, and his roaster partner, Valerian Hrala. Unleashed Coffee was initially founded to bring William's family's coffee directly to the US without middlemen which was extremely important to me as a consumer. What started as a customer - roaster relationship turned into a conversation that would change everything.
Valerian announced on his podcast that they had decided to sell Unleashed Coffee. I had been looking for my place in the coffee industry, and that podcast episode was the sign that I had found it. William and Valerian were selling Unleashed Coffee, and I was stepping into ownership. What started as a quest for quality beans became a mission to continue what my predecessors started: building direct relationships with farmers who honor both quality and community.
My initial farming partnership with William showed me that you don't just buy coffee from farmers—you build futures together. That belief guides every relationship we've cultivated since.
An Invitation to Guatemala: David & Lillian Rodriguez, Finca Santa Marta
November 2021. The San Francisco Coffee Festival. I was approached by Sabrina Rodriguez, whose parents had just brought in their first self-imported shipment of coffee to the US. When she discovered that Unleashed Coffee operates on a direct trade, farm-to-cup model, her excitement was palpable. "You need to meet my parents," she said, handing me samples.
That meeting with David and Lillian Rodriguez became one of the most meaningful partnerships we have. Nine months later, in August 2022, they invited me to Finca Santa Marta in Mataquescuintla, Guatemala—as their very first coffee roaster guest.
It was my first origin trip, and it changed how I see everything we do. Walking their farm, seeing the care in every plant, meeting their community, understanding the pride they take in their craft—this wasn't just about sourcing coffee. This was about honoring the hands that make our work possible.
What makes David and Lillian truly special is how their love for family extends to their entire community. They founded a non-profit organization called Papa-Moms, named after their granddaughter Scarlett's nickname for them. The organization was created to care for and alleviate the needs of children in their community, addressing the reality that in Guatemala, 47% of all children face challenges with growth, nutrition, and health due to the low cost of living.
Through Papa-Moms, the children of Santa Marta continue to have access to an educational center, food, and clothing. David and Lillian have woven their charitable mission directly into their coffee business—every bag of their coffee sold helps them continue helping children in their community. They're not just generating jobs and promoting sustainable practices on their farm; they're actively improving the well-being of the next generation through education, nutrition, and care.
This is what it looks like when coffee farming becomes a vehicle for genuine community transformation. David and Lillian don't just grow coffee—they grow hope.
[You can read more about my incredible journey to their farm here: A Look Back at My Trip to Finca Santa Marta]
The Q-Grader Connection: Ben Weiner, Finca Idealista, Nicaragua
August 2023. Marin County, California. A Q-grader recertification course. Sometimes the best partnerships begin in classrooms, not on farms.
That's where I met Ben Weiner from Gold Mountain Coffee Growers and Finca Idealista in Nicaragua. We connected over our shared commitment to quality and sustainability. While we've started our partnership with his incredible Coffee Blossom Honey, we're working through logistics to bring in his coffee soon. With his East Coast US base there is an extra layer of logistics, but with the recent resolution of coffee tariffs, I'm optimistic about what's ahead.
However, what draws me most to this partnership is how Ben's operation reinvests in their communities through sustainable-development projects based on true need. They've provided access to credit in a country where it's nearly non-existent. They funded an operation for a young girl so she could walk for the first time and built her a handicapped-accessible house. They've brought running water to schools far from utility grids, installed water catchment and filtration systems to protect both people and the environment, and provided free coffee and shade-tree seeds for member farmers.
This is what direct trade should look like: income from coffee that beats existing structures and genuine investment in the communities that make exceptional coffee possible. Sometimes relationships take time to develop fully—and that's okay. The foundation of trust, shared values, and real community impact is already there.
History Repeating: Alberto & Christian Guirola, Finca Montevideo, El Salvador
November 2023. The San Francisco Coffee Festival again. Just like Sabrina two years before, Alberto Guirola approached me with samples and a specific request: he was looking for roasters who practice direct trade.
We began building a relationship, and the following summer, Alberto brought his son Christian back to the Bay Area. Watching a father pass his commitment to ethical farming to the next generation reminded me why this work matters. We're not just building businesses—we're building legacies.
The Guirola family's commitment to their community speaks volumes about their values. In 2004, they donated 3.7 acres for the construction of Centro Escolar Amigos del Volcán (Friends of the Volcano School Center)—a public school that continues serving their community today. They award students with the highest academic achievement, recognizing that education creates opportunity. They've donated 2,600-gallon rainwater collection tanks to each of the 200 families in their surrounding community, addressing a critical need for water access.
Beyond infrastructure, they provide equal employment opportunities for local community members, invest in safety equipment and machinery that make workers' daily tasks easier and more efficient, and supply their coffee to local businesses. As they state on their website, they "treat the social aspect with the utmost importance," establishing corporate social responsibility that meets the needs of all stakeholders—employees, communities, future generations, and customers.
This is a family that understands coffee farming isn't just about growing exceptional beans—it's about growing a thriving community. That's a legacy worth celebrating. Learn more about the Guirola's family operation at https://www.cafe1388.com.
The Neighbor Connection: Adrian Betanzos, Finca Peru-Paris, Mexico
November 2024. SF Coffee Festival. Adrian Betanzos's booth was right next to mine. Sometimes the best partnerships are the ones literally closest to you.
Adrian's family owns their own farm in Mexico, Finca Peru-Paris. He imports his coffees, as well as neighboring farmers' coffee to the US where he runs his own roasting company. Over the course of the festival, we shared stories, tasted each other's coffees, and discovered a kinship in our approach to this work. We exchanged contact information, and what started as neighboring booths became a neighboring philosophy.
The rest, as they say, is history—or rather, it's a future we're building together.
The Matchmaker: Coopelibertad R.L., Costa Rica
Spring 2025. Not all connections happen face-to-face. Some happen through platforms designed to connect roasters and farmers directly.
I was part of a beta test with Algrano back in 2022, a logistics company that matches roasters with farmers, as they prepared their US platform launch. That early involvement paid off when they connected me with Coopelibertad R.L. in Costa Rica this spring.
This partnership proves that technology, when used thoughtfully, can extend the reach of direct trade models without losing the personal connection at their heart.
The Co-Roasting Facility Discovery: Milana & Himanshu, Navilumane Estate, India
Just last month, the newest chapter in our farming partnerships began—and it happened right here in the Bay Area, at the co-roasting facility where I roast our coffee.
I met Milana and her husband Himanshu at our shared roasting facility in Berkeley. Milana's parents own a coffee farm in the Chikmagalur region of India, and she and Himanshu import their coffee and run their own roasting company here locally. The conversation flowed as naturally as the coffee we were brewing.
What I didn't fully appreciate until later was the historical significance of their family farm's location. Chikmagalur holds a unique place in coffee history as the birthplace of coffee cultivation in India. Legend tells of Baba Budan, an Indian hermit who, enchanted by the flavors of Yemeni coffee, smuggled seven magical beans into this region. Those seven beans gave birth to India's entire coffee industry in the hills of Chikmagalur.
Today, Chikmagalur sits at the base of Mullayanagiri, the tallest peak in Karnataka at 1,930 meters, within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Western Ghats. Here, coffee plants thrive under thick forest canopies in one of the world's richest tapestries of biodiversity. What makes Indian coffee from this region so special is its unique shade-grown cultivation method—Arabica and Robusta beans flourish under the protective cover of towering trees, enhancing the flavor profile while preserving the forest ecosystem.
The resulting coffee embodies the essence of the Western Ghats, influenced by monsoons, indigenous spices, and the diverse wildlife that calls these forests home. Hand-picked, sun-dried premium beans grown at high elevation create some of India's highest quality specialty coffee, with tasting notes of chocolate, caramel, nuts, spices, maple syrup, and even banana muffins.
As India stands as the sixth-largest coffee producer globally, more estates like Milana's family farm are embracing sustainable, eco-friendly practices. This aligns perfectly with our values at Unleashed Coffee.
This is what I love most about the coffee community: connections can happen anywhere, anytime, when you're surrounded by people who share your values. From a co-roasting facility in California to a family farm in the birthplace of Indian coffee, nestled in a UNESCO World Heritage site—the world gets smaller when you're committed to doing business right. Â
What Gratitude Looks Like
Seven farming partnerships. Three continents. Coffee festivals, Q-grader courses, co-roasting facilities, and matchmaking platforms. Countless conversations, samples, emails, and shared cups of coffee. But what I'm most grateful for isn't just the exceptional coffee—it's what these partnerships represent.
These farmers wake up before dawn to tend their crops with care for both the land and their communities. They earn fair, living wages that support their families and invest in their futures. They build schools, provide clean water, fund medical procedures for children who need them, create educational opportunities, and treat their workers with dignity and respect. They trust us to honor their work by roasting with integrity and bringing their coffee to your cup with the story it deserves.
Every bag we roast carries their dedication. Every sip you take connects you to their farms, their families, their communities. That's the power of direct trade. That's the impact of choosing coffee that values people as much as flavor.
From Our Partners to Your Cup
This Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for farmers who could sell to anyone but choose to work with roasters who share their values. For families who welcome strangers to their farms and turn them into friends. For a coffee community that proves business can be done with both profit and purpose.
And I'm grateful for you—our customers who make this all possible. Your support allows us to pay fair prices, build lasting relationships, and prove that conscious consumption creates real change.
When you brew your morning coffee, know that you're connected to William in Brazil, David and Lillian in Guatemala, Ben in Nicaragua, Alberto and Christian in El Salvador, Adrian in Mexico, the cooperative in Costa Rica, and Milana's family in India. You're part of their story. You're part of unleashing the quality from their farms to your cup. You're part of building schools, providing clean water, funding life-changing medical care, and supporting communities that honor both quality and people.
That's something worth being grateful for every single day.
From our seven farming partners to your cup—Happy Thanksgiving.
Want to be part of this journey? As a subscriber to our auto delivery program, you are cordially invited to join our Farm to Cup Coffee Club where you can chat with the roaster, our farmers, and other coffee enthusiasts, as we share stories from the farms, brew tips, recipes, and good ‘ol fashion coffee and convo. Start a coffee subscription with Unleashed Coffee and become part of our Farm to Cup Coffee Club Community!