An important premise for the work we do is transparency. If we are to be a different player in the coffee market – and deliver on what we say and write – then we must also report on what we actually do.
In this mini-report, we will show how much goes back to East Timor when you buy a bag of coffee from Konfiansa.
Since 2022, we have been working to establish a short and efficient value chain between farmers in East Timor and end customers in Norway. It is, and will be, a very difficult and complicated task, but we have come a long way. Coffee is a volumegame, and without large volumes, it is challenging to both offer low enough prices to end customers and give farmers the share they deserve.
We are trying to find a balance, but we recognize that it will take time before we are able to give back as much to the local community as we would like. Growth will be important in the coming years, because without greater volume we will not be able to leave a footprint on either farmers or the industry.
If you buy a single bag of 250g Parami for 200 kroner directly in the online store (and pay for shipping yourself), the cost breakdown looks as follows:
Last year we paid farmers 3.5 USD per kilo of parchment. The market price for commercial coffee was around 2.5 USD per kilo (50c per kilo of cherry). This corresponds to a price increase of 40 % for the farmer. The fact that the farmer doesn't get more is also about local conditions: If we pay 5 or 6 USD per kilo, we will blow up the local market, and create many negative ripple effects. That's why we prefer to send all the profits back to East Timor.
In 2024, we produced 1800 kg of green beans. This corresponds to around 1550 kg of fully roasted beans. Of this, we sell the lion's share to distilleries as green beans. The goal is to sell around 500 kg as roasted beans under our own brand. While the margins are between 10 – 15 % when we sell green beans to distilleries, the margins in the end market (green beans to consumers) are from 30 % to over 60 % as shown in the example above.
Regardless of how much we sell to end customers and distilleries, the profits will always go back to East Timor.
The item "Surplus Konfiansa" is used in the short term to build up capital in the organization to have liquidity to buy new coffee in the next year. This is an important prerequisite for us to be able to continue buying coffee without expensive loans.
The costs for the production of 1800 kg of green beans roughly look like this (all costs in USD as it is the local currency in East Timor).
| Parchment from farmers in Maubisse | $3,944.50 |
| Parchment from farmers in Atsabe | $3,351.60 |
| Production costs in East Timor | $1,840.18 |
| Shipping East Timor – UK | $3,801.80 |
| Shipping UK – Trondheim | $1,372.73 |
| Salary of two employees for 1 year in East Timor | $3,000.00 |
| Other costs in East Timor | $1,080.00 |
| Total costs | $18,390.81 |
| Cost per kilo | $10.22 |
Establishing social projects takes time. Despite working on this throughout 2025, we have not yet started implementation. We are currently working on launching two vegetable projects, one in Estado and one in Parami. Here, our primary goal is to ensure market access for the vegetables the farmers produce. For the vast majority of coffee farmers in East Timor, vegetables constitute an important source of income outside the coffee season, but many lack access to a market. This, according to the farmers themselves, is one of their main challenges in improving their own living situation.
What we have succeeded in doing, however, is building a team in East Timor. In addition to all the volunteers, we have had 1 – 2 full-time positions since the end of 2023. In 2023 and 2024, Eka was employed, while Moises and Ella have worked throughout 2025. Through these positions, we are building knowledge in Konfiansa, establishing networks among farmers and working to obtain our own export license. During 2026, we will also work on building our own office and warehouse, which will be an important investment for the future.
