Bridging the gap between farmers and roasters
Our journey started when Firaol was a sophomore in college. He began by importing coffee from his family's farm in Ethiopia, roasting it, and selling it online from his dorm room. After a year, he took a bigger step and imported a container of green coffee to sell to independent roasters across the Midwest.
Through these interactions with roasters, Firaol gained an important insight: Many independent roasters want to source directly from farmers and build long-lasting relationships. However, the current coffee supply chain—especially in African countries—makes this nearly impossible. That's when the idea to solve this problem through technology was born.
Around this time, Andy joined as co-founder and CTO. Having grown up in Burundi, Andy understood firsthand the challenges coffee farmers face. At the time, he was working full-time as a software engineer. After Firaol shared this problem with him, Andy decided to leave his job and join the mission to make direct trade possible and give farmers access to international markets.
Why direct trade matters
The current coffee supply chain is broken. Here's why:
Meet our team
Our founders combine deep roots in East African coffee farming with technical expertise to bridge the gap between producers and roasters.
Firaol Ahmed
Growing up in a family of coffee farmers in Ethiopia, Firaol experienced firsthand the challenges of connecting producers with international markets. While studying at Saint Louis University, he started importing and selling coffee from his family's farm, which led to the founding of Moii.
