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One great way to gain visibility for the Java Bite brand, get a feel for the market, and make new contacts is to attend food events here in Indonesia.  September 2019 found us in Bali participating in an international food trade show. REI, (Resource Exchange International, Inc.), is a key partner of PT SunREI Food Products, the Indonesian business. Since…

“Don’t try to work with village people.  It will be much more difficult for you.” This warning from a business owner in Indonesia caused me to pause and carefully consider the path we were forging. Although that conversation took place over a decade ago, I have never forgotten it —  though it was perhaps the best warning I ever ignored.…

I like to work with my hands;  I derive satisfaction from a finished project. And if tasked with a project of tearing something apart . . . well, I’ve loved demolition work since I was a three-year-old playing with Lincoln Logs!  In fact, I was a bit jealous when I recently passed through a village and saw a man tearing…

Resource Exchange International, Inc. (REI) takes the matter of “Building People to Build a Nation” very seriously, mobilizing resources so that professionals in several countries can strengthen the strategic sectors of their country.  In Indonesia we direct our attention toward those whose income prospects are limited. Specifically, we work among low-income families in rural villages, creating jobs that can equip…

In the village of Tiron, natural resource extraction has become a way of life. Agriculture provides the largest amount of community income.  Mining in the village is a close second. In both agriculture and mining, the tools of the trade are very simple: hoe, plow, hammer. Low technologies present very limited opportunities for personal development. To be sure, swinging a…