At a farming household in Aileu, a mountainous region in central Timor-Leste—a small island nation located east of Indonesia in Southeast Asia—the aftermath of an unexpected torrential rain had destroyed their entire corn harvest. The head of the household quietly said:

"I have no savings. I don't know what to feed my family for dinner tonight, or how I'll manage my children's schooling. I feel completely helpless."

In that moment, Joao Bosco Martins realized how vulnerably agriculture, education, and survival are interconnected in Timor-Leste.

According to the World Bank, 63% of Timor-Leste's poor depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Many families work hard to sustain themselves through farming, but they become powerless in the face of climate change and poor infrastructure.

Baucau is a major agricultural region in eastern Timor-Leste, where many smallholder farmers transport their produce directly to nearby markets for sale. In this region, it's common to see farmers carrying sacks of vegetables on their shoulders, walking several kilometers along muddy roads inaccessible to vehicles to reach the market. When it rains, the roads become even more treacherous, and the journey takes even longer. By the time they arrive at the market, most of their produce—which should be fresh—has already wilted or spoiled, and they can't get fair prices. The reality of their hard work crumbling before poor infrastructure repeats itself endlessly.

Timor-Leste's smallholder farmers constantly struggle with climate change, poor infrastructure, and lack of financial services. They are hardworking and deeply devoted to their families, but without external support, they remain vulnerable.

The problem wasn't just one year's crop failure or bad weather. In a system where roads wash out when it rains and distribution networks can't reach the markets, farmers' harvests never even got the chance to receive fair prices. The crops they painstakingly grew were sold for pennies or spoiled before reaching the market, and these losses directly translated into reduced household income.

While running a nutrition and food consumption project for Timor-Leste students at an international NGO, Mr. Martins realized that Timor-Leste’s agricultural products had sufficient nutritional and cultural value, yet were not properly valued due to limitations in processing and distribution systems. This also led consumers to choose imported foods over local agricultural products.

Through this experience, he began to see local agricultural products not merely as "produce," but as essential resources sustaining people's lives and the local economy. "If there's a market willing to wait for the farmers' harvest, these crops won't have to be wasted." He resolved to create a sustainable market that would reliably purchase farmers' harvests and connect local ingredients to everyday dining tables.

Thus was born Rey Restaurant, bridging farmers' harvests to dining tables.

In opening Rey Restaurant, he aimed not just to serve food, but to create a structure that supports the lives of local farmers and fishers. Economic sustainability and community empowerment—these two goals became the core foundation driving his business.

Rey Restaurant is a project that directly purchases local agricultural products to provide high-quality meals through a single dining experience, while directly supporting smallholder farmers and fishers. It transforms everyday consumption into a tool for community empowerment.

Rey Restaurant purchases agricultural products directly from farmers, guaranteeing fair prices and stable demand. Farmers gain financial stability to improve their production environment, afford their children's education, and enhance their living conditions.

Using traditional ingredients like rice, coconut, corn, mung beans, chili peppers, and fresh fish, the restaurant presents Timor-Leste and Southeast Asian traditional cooking methods in a modern interpretation, offering a global culinary experience that preserves local identity.

"Seeing the smiles return to farmers' faces—smiles they'd lost for so long—that's the greatest reward of this business."

Joao Bosco seeks to make Rey Restaurant's food a bridge between culture and development. Through the everyday experience of food, he aims to foster pride in Timor-Leste cuisine, contribute real strength to the community, and share Timor-Leste's potential with more people.

His vision for the future is clear: Timor-Leste cuisine gaining recognition on a broader stage, the rural economy becoming more resilient, and creating an environment where farmers can sustain their livelihoods in a sustainable manner. Rey Restaurant will continue moving forward, step by step, toward an Timor-Lestewhere growth and identity go hand in hand.

However, for Rey Restaurant to continue keeping its promises to local farmers, it must first establish a basic operational foundation. In Timor-Leste, there isn't sufficient initial capital or institutional support for a small restaurant to establish itself stably.

Impact donations help Rey Restaurant operate steadily without wavering and become a dining table responsible for more farmers' harvests!

Please support with an impact donation so this table can continue its first steps!