If you already sell directly to roasters, you know how much of the job isn’t about coffee.
The release requests. The documentation. The damage claims. The roaster who needs half a pallet urgently and the four steps it takes before anything moves.
Steve Holt knew it, too. He co-founded Ninety Plus Coffee, built farms in Ethiopia and Panama, and launched Unravel Merchants with his partner, Ashenafi Argaw, to bring extraordinary Ethiopian lots directly to North American roasters.
In more than 20 years in the coffee industry, Steve has handled importing himself as well as working with traditional import partners. While those models worked on the surface, he faced the same issue again and again: logistical complications were eating away at his time.
That time that could have been spent checking in on the coffee, building better relationships with roasters, and ultimately growing his business.
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A formula for failure
Every roaster release followed the same sequence. Steve would need to collect payment, send the release request, wait for the importer to authorize the warehouse, and coordinate the shipment.
When something went wrong, the process became even more demanding. A damaged bag meant waiting two months for reimbursement. A late container gave a roaster a clear reason to cancel.
“It’s just multiple steps, constantly, just to release half a pallet.”
Between the time-draining logistics and cash flow-draining payment structures, there was little fuel in the tank to nurture the relationships around which he'd built the business.
“All of that,” Steve says, “is just a formula for failure.”
A solution that “just works”
When Steve discovered Algrano, he knew within five minutes that the infrastructure was exactly what he wanted.
He still remembers the response of Ashenafi - who had dealt with countless payment and documentation issues over the years - when he showed him the platform:
“This is the best solution I’ve seen.”
What caught Steve’s attention wasn’t just the interface, but what it represented: infrastructure built for both sides of the trade, bringing producer and roaster into one shared environment.
It was also quick and easy to set up.
“I felt like it was very easy to just get into something and have my coffee available to sell. That took no time at all. There really haven’t been any setbacks. It’s like: ‘Oh, this just works.’”
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Creating space for better relationships
Steve has a phrase he keeps coming back to when describing Algrano: the glue that holds roasters and producers together.
One of Steve’s regular customers used to be a constant source of logistical back-and-forth.
From urgent releases and chasing payments, to delays that were never Steve’s fault but always his problem to explain, much of their communication was laborious and transactional.
Since moving to Algrano, Steve hasn’t heard from him - in the best possible way.
“He’s just releasing his own coffee. He’s completely autonomous. I’m not doing the grunt work for a company that should be doing their own.”
The roaster can now manage releases independently, without relying on Steve to coordinate every step.
Because of this, their conversations look different now. How’s business? How’s the family? The roaster recently had a baby.
The relationship goes beyond the transaction because Algrano’s supply-chain model changes gives producers more space to focus on the part of direct trade that matters.
“What Algrano has actually provided is a direct relationship. That’s different.”
Your customers stay yours
One concern Steve had heard from other producers before switching to Algrano was that the platform might find a way to edge them out or absorb their roaster relationships over time.
Since making the move, however, he’s never felt that way. The purpose of the platform and its role in the relationship were transparent from the start.
“It’s crystal clear on the purpose. Algrano is not there to take advantage. They’re there to genuinely support both parties. They’re actually guiding you to have a better direct relationship with roasters. They’re encouraging engagement.”
The greater challenge has been encouraging existing roaster partners to change their habits.
Some sign up immediately. Others continue texting Steve to ask what is coming that year or wait for him to send samples manually.
"Gentle pressure," Steve says, borrowing a phrase from restaurateur Danny Meyer's book Setting the Table. "A constant reminder. You just have to keep shifting it. But once they're in, they're in."
And once they've been through a full buying cycle, something shifts. They become autonomous - and so does much of the process.
The part that can’t be automated
Algrano’s infrastructure removes much of the operational work surrounding producer-roaster relationships. But when Steve talks about why he remains committed to the partnership, he comes back to something software alone cannot provide: genuine attention.
Previous import partners didn’t check in, think ahead or ask about Unravel’s plans for growth. Algrano did.
The visits, check-ins and knowledge of how Unravel operates make Algrano feel less like a service provider and more like a partner. When Steve needs additional support, the team can also step in to help one of his roasters in California or New York.
“The genuine support I get from Algrano is just something I have not experienced. I feel like I have a true partnership that’s going to look out for me.”
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