When we founded Brothers Coffee, one of our goals was to become large enough to help support very small roasters that have great values and ideas and give them the momentum they need to thrive in a competitive market. Theodore’s Coffee Roasters from Owossa, MI is one of these roasters, and we’re very excited to help them this month!

All of Theodore’s coffee is sourced through direct trade, a result of Theodore’s founder Darwin Pavon’s relationship with farmers throughout Central America and, more recently, Africa. Direct trade relationships can be difficult to form, even for large roasters, but Darwin’s unique experiences growing up in Honduras and work all around the world has put him in a position to immediately cut out the middle-men and work with his coffee-growing friends from Honduras, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala and more.

The result is coffee with a story. Their coffee descriptions and images often have just as much information about the farm and farmers as there is about the coffee itself!

Through direct trade, Theodore’s is able to ensure that their farmers are paid a fair amount for their coffee. But Theodore’s invests in other ways as well, with one of their flagship partnerships being with The Micah Project in Honduras. The Micah Project has homes in Honduras for children and various outreach and charity programs for the poorest in the country. Their goal is to support these young men as they learn to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God.” The Micah Project is especially close to Darwin’s heart, as Darwin lived in the Micah Home after his father died in a traffic accident. Soon after, Darwin became the first child from the Micah House to graduate college. Since then, he has been a mentor to the children in the Micah House, and Theodore’s donates to the project monthly.

Darwin with some of his Micah Project brothers in Honduras

In Michigan, Theodore’s looks for new ways to invest in its communities. The company frequently donates to local events and charities, and even donated to nearby Flint during the water crisis. As their roastery is in a low-income neighborhood, Theodore’s offers price-cuts for their local customers; after-all, no one should live without coffee!

While Darwin’s passion for others is clear, his passion for coffee has been ingrained in him since birth! He tells us that he was given coffee before he was given a bottle. His journey to find new tastes and flavors in coffee has sent him all around the world, with Ethiopia being his latest addition to an already booming coffee lineup. We can’t wait to share with you what he has found in his journeys!