b'14Accion Annual Report 2018 Accion Entrepreneurs 15 TELESTO COFFEEDALLAS, TEXASAbel Pea grew up in central Texas surrounded byserving as a teacher for five years. Combining their shared passion for coffee, entrepreneurship. His mother owned a womens boutique andeducation, and culture, the couple launched the business with a guiding mission consignment store and Abel began working in the shop as ato provide coffee with social purpose. The subscription-based coffee business young boy. He says, She loved having her own business and setting her owndelivers fresh-roasted coffee from five countries directly to customer doors. schedule. Thats where I learned the concept of having a product and makingWhen the time came to fund the business, Abel knew just where to go. He says, moneythe idea of owning my own business was always therealthough IIn my masters degree program we researched microfinance loans and I wrote didn\'t know where my path to that dream lay.a paper about Accionnever thinking that one day Id be the one receiving the In my masters degree program weSeveral years later, while pursuing a masters degree in internationalloan." He reflects, Accion added fuel to the fire to get our business started.researched microfinance loans and I wrote aABEL & LORA PEAdevelopment, Abel found his path in Africa. Studying social enterprise projectsToday, Telesto Coffee is thriving and Abel and Lora have big plans for the next paper about Accionnever thinking that oneTELESTO COFFEE|DALLAS, TEXASin Uganda, he was inspired by coffee and the sense of community it creates.phase of their journey. Still holding down day jobs, the couple intend to soon While traveling and learning about coffee, Abel was consistently struck byrun the business full-time. Telesto Coffee is already making a difference for day Id be the one receiving the loan." how hard it was for children to simply attend school. He says, When I saw thefamilies and children around the globe. In addition to working exclusively with schools they were entering with 40 kids in a little room, 10 desks and not even afair trade farms, five percent of Kenyan coffee purchases support Give and teacher to teach them, I had to figure out how I could make a difference.Grow, a local Kenyan organization that helps pay for schooling for children in the Kilifi District. Next, Abel and Lora envision giving back in their home state Founding Telesto Coffee with his wife Lora was the solution. Lora has aby opening a flagship coffee shop in Texas.background in education, growing up as the daughter of a school principal and'