It’s early morning in the misty, humid mountains of Timor-Leste, one of Australia’s closest neighbours. Chickens and roosters roam free, smoke from the cooking fires fill the air and the village of Baguia is coming to life.
Paulino has been in his jungle garden since 5 am, working in the cool of the morning, collecting yams and sweet potatoes. His wife Fatima has been up for a few hours getting the cooking fire going and preparing a breakfast of rice and green vegetables for the family of ten.
At a farmers’ market in Melbourne, a coffee trike is in full swing, pumping out delicious specialty coffee from Timor-Leste, but this brew is different to most. The WithOne- Bean coffee trike is serving ethical and fair trade flat whites to its customers. But while those enjoying their coffees may not realise the impact it’s having on subsistence farmers like Paulino, each cup is making a real difference.