Why U.S. small businesses are teaching customers how to use stablecoins

Key Concepts

• Specialty Coffee
• Direct Trade Partnerships
• Blockchain Technology
• Global Financial Inclusion
• Developing World Financial Tools

Prevail Coffee: A Specialty Coffee Business

WDE Preston, co-founder of Prevail Coffee, describes his company as a specialty coffee brand that operates as a roaster and micro-importer. Prevail Coffee has four retail locations: two in Atlanta, one in Montgomery, and one in Birmingham. The company engages in direct trade partnerships with farmers globally, focusing on high-quality specialty coffee.

Blockchain as a Solution for Global Coffee Trade Challenges

Preston's extensive work in the global coffee industry exposed him to significant problems within the trade, particularly concerning the lack of basic financial tools in developing countries. He states, "As I got further and further into understanding the problems with the global coffee trade and the way that so many of the financial tools that we take for granted, they're just non-existent in the developing world." This realization led him to discover blockchain technology.

Blockchain's Impact on Business and Financial Inclusion

Preston found that blockchain technology offered solutions to the issues he observed in the global coffee trade. He believes it can positively impact businesses like Prevail Coffee and contribute to broader global financial inclusion. The core idea is that blockchain can provide the missing financial infrastructure in regions where traditional systems are absent or underdeveloped.