Our New Farmers: Danilo Roman & Diego Rogel

At Z Beans Coffee, every cup begins with a person, a family, and a farm. Our commitment to Transparent Trade has always been about more than simply knowing where our coffee comes from—it’s about building lasting relationships with the people who grow it. By working directly with farmers in Ecuador, we are able to support their businesses, learn their stories, and ensure they receive meaningful compensation for the work behind every harvest. This year, we are excited to introduce two of our newest farmer partners from Zaruma, Ecuador: Diego Rogel and Danilo Roman.

We first met Diego Rogel in 2024, just as he and his family were beginning to plant a variety of Arabica coffee plants across their 12-acre farm in Guizhaguina, Zaruma. From the beginning, Diego approached the farm with an emphasis on sustainability and long-term quality, preserving natural shade and crop diversity while building a gravity-fed irrigation system supplied by a natural reservoir. Two years later, those young coffee plants produced their first harvest. In 2026, Z Beans proudly purchased Diego’s first 30 quintals—approximately 3,000 pounds—of coffee. Since then, he has continued working closely with Arturo to refine his fermentation and post-harvest methods, always looking for ways to make the next harvest even better.

Danilo Roman’s story in coffee began differently but with a similarly strong vision for the future. We first met Danilo in 2026 after he purchased an older coffee farm in Zaruma and began bringing it back to life. Already a successful Ecuadorian entrepreneur, Danilo saw the property as more than a business opportunity. Restoring the farm gave his family a way to work together while continuing the agricultural traditions of the generations who came before them. After renovating the farm’s water reservoir to restore reliable irrigation, Danilo and his family worked side by side through their first harvest and developed their own fermentation methods along the way. Z Beans purchased 20 quintals—approximately 2,000 pounds—from that first harvest, helping establish a market for the family’s coffee as they begin this new chapter.

Though Diego and Danilo are each building something uniquely their own, their farms share a home in the mountains of Zaruma at approximately 3,500 feet above sea level. Both produce washed, natural, and honey-processed coffees, but the character of each harvest tells its own story: Diego’s coffee features notes of caramel, cherry, and dark chocolate, while Danilo’s offers notes of cocoa and citrus. Their farms are also home to crops such as guava and mandarin alongside coffee, reflecting the agricultural diversity that makes this region so special.

These partnerships are exactly what Transparent Trade looks like to us. Coffee farming is constantly changing, and we believe meaningful impact comes through relationships, flexibility, and trust—not one-size-fits-all programs. When you drink Z Beans, you are supporting farmers like Diego and Danilo as they invest in their land, improve their craft, provide for their families, and build something that can continue for generations. We are incredibly proud to be part of the beginning of both of these stories, and even more excited to see where the years ahead take them. From their farms in Ecuador to your cup, this is coffee with a story worth knowing.