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Paul Tupper
Co-founder and President at Onda Origins
Scott Tupper is the co-founder and CEO of Onda Origins, a coffee company that focuses on creating a transparent and sustainable coffee supply chain. He launched Onda Origins in 2016 alongside his brother, Paul Tupper, with the aim of connecting consumers directly with coffee growers to foster fair practices and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The company operates on principles of impact and transparency, emphasizing high-quality craft-roasted coffee as a vehicle for social change.125
Background and Experience
Scott has a diverse background that includes experience in international development, where he observed the shortcomings of traditional development projects that often did not meet the needs of local communities. This insight inspired him to create a business model that prioritizes community involvement and fair compensation for farmers.24 Before founding Onda, Scott also co-founded Yave, a tech startup utilizing blockchain technology to enhance traceability in supply chains, particularly in the coffee industry.34
Achievements
Under Scott's leadership, Onda Origins has grown significantly, establishing multiple retail locations and gaining recognition for its innovative approach to the coffee market. The company employs blockchain to ensure that consumers can trace their coffee back to its origins, thus promoting transparency and allowing farmers to receive fair compensation for their products.45 Scott's efforts have positioned Onda as a notable player in Seattle's vibrant coffee scene, known for its commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing practices.
Education
Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia, where he studied Anthropology, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Spanish. He has also pursued studies at prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford and the University of Valencia.3
Personal Insights
Scott is passionate about creating a positive impact through his work in the coffee industry. He believes in leveraging consumer purchasing power to support environmental sustainability and social equity within coffee-growing communities worldwide.24
Highlights
What archaic industries have you seen disrupted by transparency and new business models? In response to injustices at home a friend recently posted that "A colonial institution can never hold itself accountable or be decolonized because its very existence is a violent injustice." I agree and cannot help but think of how this applies to coffee. The hope that "prices (referring to green coffee) will rise" goes against the broader macro-trends in the industry which favor consolidation, efficient large-scale production, and the imbedded incentive structure of a centralized trading model. Indies paying better prices for specialty coffee is a good start, but is far from panacea due to small quantities and selection biases towards a small number of market-ready producers. Where it gets interesting + materially impactful, IMO, is when new ownership models and business models are introduced to the value chain. At Onda and Yave we always ask ourselves if what we're doing is truly a departure from the status quo; and if this departure has the ability to scale. The coffee industry is rife with issues; & I think the following video does as good of a job as any ten minute short can in providing a zoomed out perspective. Thoughts?
Techstars Seattle Demo Day for yave today!
https://lnkd.in/gRGzFSE
Proud of you- nicola claxton and Dan Carlson! What a great step in our coffee journey- and it all began with a dream and a mission to connect coffee farmers and consumers. A friend just texted me this picture with the caption “four years ago.” I’m handwriting labels on coffee bags which Paul Tupper and I would bag and take to farmers’ markets on the weekends. I was still bartending and Paul was at a nonprofit. Since then Onda Origins has grown into an award winning brand and we’ve spun yave into a gamechanging tech company for #coffee. Both have super #teams. Onward and upward- and a huge thank you to all who have educated and inspired me along the way!
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Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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