This might get emotional.

We talk a lot about the good we try to do. The premium prices, the hands-on training, the long-term commitment.

And we often paint a picture as to why we do all this. Farmers suffering in squalid living conditions, children going hungry and deserting the farm, crops and quality of life falling to the wayside.

But not all hardship is financial. Not all pain is physical. And Marcus Carvalho, owner of Fazenda Chapada, knows this more than anyone.

Marcus’ story

Five years ago, Marcus lost his wife, Maria, to a car accident. Up until then, life was good. They’d inherited Fazenda Chapada from her father, grown the farm, and were making quite an impact in the coffee industry - bringing speciality cuppers to the region.

But in his grief, Marcus considered giving up on coffee entirely. Soon after that is when he met Head of Coffee Will:

I only have to thank you Will, because when I met you for the first time I met you in a very difficult phase of my life - when I was at the bottom of the well.

Through the partnership and basically the donation of the machine that sorts the beans, I started getting shine back into my eyes.

Yes, I was a new man .

Each day that I see you it is such a shame that I can’t speak English, so we could speak directly, but I have a lot of love and care for you. I am very grateful - everything that you can see here has to do with you.

I want to make clear that it’s not easy for us to do all of this and it’s been very painful, and you deal with a lot of people, but I can only say one thing: that it’s worth it. That it’s been worth it, even more when I have partners like you.

These are Marcus’ words to Will, spoken just a few weeks ago (and translated to Will as he said them). And more than anything else, they show the power is mixing friendship with business.

How is Marcus doing now?

Marcus’ life has changed for the better. He’s in a loving relationship, his farm is going from strength to strength, and his coffee quality had massively increased! Not only does that mean that we’re paying him more money per pound of coffee, it means his other buyers are giving him a higher price too. Exactly as they should be. We’re over the moon for him.

What about the coffee?

It’s a winner, especially for offices. Chocolatey, toffee notes, creamy mouthfeel - like a delicious upgrade to your familiar cup of coffee. Contact your account manager to see if you can try it for yourself!