At Dean’s Beans, we’ve always believed that the way we do business should reflect the kind of world we want to live in, one rooted in equity, respect, and long-term collaboration. That’s why, since 2009, we’ve partnered with Cooperativa Café Timor on a shared mission that goes way beyond coffee to improving the health and well-being in farming communities.
Timor-Leste is a small island nation that gained independence in 2002. Coffee is its most important export, but production is limited, with less than 2 million pounds per year grown on the entire island.
Coffee from Atsabe village in the Ermera region is some of the best we’ve ever tasted. We were the first roaster to source Atsabe coffee from Timor. This kind of long-term relationship opens the door to deeper impact.
In 2023, Beth and Brendan visited Timor and spent time in Atsabe and the surrounding communities way, way up in the mountains.
In rural Timor-Leste, access to basic healthcare is limited, as it is in most coffee producing regions around the world. Through our partnership, we’ve helped support a network of mobile and small community health clinics that serve thousands of farming families across the region.
Alongside Café Timor, we’ve been supporting a network of rural health clinics through our People-Centered Development Program. One of those clinics is in Malabe, a remote area where farmers and their families rely on this small facility for everyday care.
Originally launched with help from USAID, the clinics now rely on partners like us to stay open, staffed, and stocked with supplies. Our partnership ensures that the Malabe clinic continues to serve its community, not just today, but for the long haul.
Seeing the impact of our partnership firsthand, and meeting with farmers at local clinics, reaffirmed everything we believe about building real, respectful relationships in the coffeelands.