11 Million Trees: A regenerative coffee system for Timor-Leste

Hello Everyone,

Mat North here from Raw Material Coffee CIC, and I’d like to tell you about our work in Timor-Leste and how you, the coffee community, can be a part of it.

Over a third of households in Timor-Leste are coffee growers. However, most of these families live below the poverty line, with trees producing only a fraction of their potential. The 11 Million Trees program is a 25-year effort to change this by addressing the underlying causes.

We’ve spent the first eight years on the ground working to understand what holds Timor-Leste’s coffee sector back; testing processing methods, fixing quality bottlenecks, mapping the limits of power, transport, training, markets, and agronomy. As we launch phase two of our work we’re inviting the international coffee community to join the effort.

Now in phase two, the solutions are clear: planting new coffee trees, harnessing renewable energy, repurposing plastic waste, and utilising bamboo infrastructure to form a practical regenerative system: one that can lift yields, stabilise quality, and ultimately double the value of coffee exports in a way that meaningfully reduces poverty for coffee-growing households.

Our Kickstarter has reward tiers designed for everyone, from coffee roasters to home-brewing enthusiasts. You can plant a coffee tree in someone’s name as a gift, join our global tasting team to provide valuable sensory feedback on our coffee varietal trials, or you can even plant an entire 1,000-tree coffee lot. Each tier creates real, measurable impact for farming families in Timor-Leste, and has clear value for roasters, cafes, and coffee lovers.
For the full video and more details on how you can get involved, please check out our Kickstarter page and if you have any questions, please ask!