‘I want to work with nature and the communities who we depend on for the products. I want to supply good quality products directly to the consumers,’ says Emeliano De Sa Benevides, ‘Emel’, a 29-year-old farmer and entrepreneur.

Emel is a farmer and an entrepreneur and has a simple vision: for his business to support local farmers and protect nature. He is driven by a desire to protect nature from the ill-effects of industrialisation and realises that in Timor-Leste it is necessary to develop the private sector for the development of the country. However, he is also cautious of large companies and industries ruining the natural wealth of the country.

‘When people start big business, they are usually more focus on quantity for making profits, and sometimes they neglect to care for nature. They destroy nature. In my business I don’t care about quantity, but I want to focus on quality. It doesn’t need to be the biggest, or the best, it just needs to be sustainable’, he says. 

This passion drove Emel to start his own business. Emel has two separate business, and one of them is Kafe Laku Diak which supports a range of different coffee farmers and families in Timor-Leste. Emel is working to finalise this brand and is currently selling the coffee in supermarkets around Dili. The second business, Café Baliu, is smaller and serves the purpose of supporting his family in their village in Grotu, Same, Manufahi.

‘Most of the work of producing the coffee starts with the farmers. The farmers are really the whole deal, so we need to make sure they are getting what they deserve’ He says.

Emel is benefitting from the services at the Knua Juventude Fila-Liman Centre (KJFL). He has promoted his business at various events, such as at Knua’s night markets, and sells his products on Knua’s online e-market.

‘Timor has great potential for coffee and other products because it's organically grown. I buy the coffee off the farmers and process the coffee. I also teach farmers to produce quality coffee. I want to sell it to people, and to develop a brand strong enough that people will buy it because they know it is good quality coffee,’ he says.

Emel hopes that his business will inspire other youths. His business reinforces that youth entrepreneurship not only inspires individuals but inspires and motivates the Timorese youth collectively.

He added: ‘The opportunities are here in Timor. Youth need to reach out and grab them. It’s like having a mango tree, you need to climb to the top to get the fruit. You have to do the hard work and climb, rather than wait at the bottom for the bad fruit to fall.’

The Knua Centre is enabling youth to put their ideas into motion. By supporting start-ups and existing businesses, the Knua Centre maintains the success of youth entrepreneurs. Through Knua Emel socializes his brand and makes contacts along the supply chain. His overall aim is to support the hard-work of the famers and to create sustainable farming practises for future generations to appreciate.

 ‘We need to think about the development of Timor-Leste 100 years from now. We need sustainable economies and to help farmers to improve themselves so that they can teach future generations. We need to protect nature and use it for business instead of destroying it,’ he says.

Emel wants to help other farmers benefit collectively by effectively connecting producers with entrepreneurs, and then the market. This enables the whole supply chain to benefit from the products being sold. Emel's business is facilitating these networks and allowing farmers to equitably and sustainably benefit from their hard work.