ABOUT US
Hey guys, although I might be an average guy in some ways...
My name is still Alexey, and I'm relatively an average guy. I say this because it one thing that unites us people. On the average, we are about...well...average. You and I are not extraordinary, most of us are just regular folks , living regular average lives.
Because we think this about ourselves, we end up hiding our greatest superpower...(Hint: It's Tapping into our creativity.)
My story in a nutshell...
When I moved to Hilo, I kind of knew two people (my two hosts where I moved in), was $20,000 negative and had no clue how to pay it back. Within a few weeks of arriving, I connected with coffee farmers, chocolate farmers, pineapple farmers and others.
To be honest, I didn't even know that coffee and chocolate and vanilla grew in Hawaii. So I picked up a few part time gigs for a few years to learn everything I could about them. An boyyy was it a learning curve.
THE INNOVATOR
IN ALL OF US
Yep, that's me staring at the screen running numbers for yet another idea in 2019.
Innovation happens when a person or a group stay dedicated until the answer is discovered.
When I learned we have over 300 gallons of precious Cacao Nectar a year goes to waste, my creativity was not working much. When I heard about 50,000 pounds of stranded coffee just sit around, I had a hard time figuring out new products. But in 2022 I learned we have about 5 million pounds of purple potatoes not being utilized because it's not pretty or a bit too small for the markets. I HAD to figure it out an answer.
At 5 million pounds, something shifted in my brain. I went from "TRYING" to figure out an answer...and it became a "MUST" figure out an answer.
Once I said "I MUST" figure this out, creativity was triggered and ideas for new products were coming in fast and furious.
In 2019 as I sat by Hilo Bay, I wrote in my journal how I'd love to work on food security and electricity on Hawaii Island. It wasn't until 2022 after tons of learning (aka failed products & attempts) did I finally create the first product people liked and were willing to pay for.
In 2022, for three months I was anchored at home because a strong case of vertigo paid me a visit and I could barely walk. It felt like a set back. But, by having all that time to think, those three months became the setup for Encouraging Coffee to come to life.
After living all over America, I learned living on an Island comes with an interesting challenge. After a few short years, it's easy to stop seeing the incredible opportunities in what might feel like a mundane life. (*Come to think of it, this happens anywhere you live.)
(A Little Inspiration)
Encouraging Coffee is here to show through example that "WE" are the Solution. I have absolutely no education beyond High school. I am not a cook and never worked in the food industry. But in my heart I made a decision to discover the Solutions to our great Opportunity. And that's why I started to make new products and giving out samples.
Encouraging Coffee has a Four Phase plan to get Hawaii Island one step closer to Food Security. Not by growing more food, but by figuring out how we can use as close to 100% of our products we already grow on Island.
The challenge has been accepted and the mission is crystal clear. Will You accept the mission as your own. Become a customer today to Invest so we can continue Developing new value add products. Welcome to Encouraging Coffee.
OUR VISION/MISSION &
4 PHASE PLAN
Building a Food Sustainable Island is an epic feet of engineering, Incredible Networking, & Partnerships.
For the last three years I looked at Food Sustainability through the lens of growing MORE local food.
Now, I have a different set of glasses. Seeing the same Opportunity through the lens of "100% Island Resource Utilization of the food we ALREADY grow."
In the picture you'll see the four phase plan by which the 100% food utilization goal will be accomplished. It will be a long journey full of challenges at every corner...One worth taking! Because planting a better future is worth it.
We wont stop at stage 4...We will go into other fields like developing our very own bamboo growing for food and construction industry. (Let's not forget he star fruit.)
Hawaii Island has an incredible amount of growing going on already. Our mission is to make sure everything we grow is used, regardless if is looks perfect or set aside as grade B products.