Nobody wakes up one day determined to be courageous in speech and action – just because. But even if someone does, it doesn’t last.

Behind a determined bold man or woman there is always a story of hardship that they overcame with perseverance. You have to die to self to be born again as a new unshakable person. Humility learned and embraced is a source of power. You don’t depend on other people’s approval anymore.

A year and a half ago we started a company that imports and distributes specialty coffee equipment. It was a slow start. We incorporated in the first week after we moved from Silicon Valley to Romania in December. We had prepared the terrain in advance, but reminiscing about those first few months of a new business born in deep winter, with bureaucracy hitting us in the face like an icy slap, in a very young rigid specialty coffee market – I recall it all as a depressing time.

But every good thing that shall last, it takes time to build roots.

We started focusing on building relationships as a foundation of our business, but even those grow slowly and organic.

We’ve made mistakes. Some big ones, some small … and we continue to learn and grow.

A year and a half later, we delight in the friendships and partnerships we’ve built, the momentum, discerning between things and businesses we do pursue, and those in the “not-yet” category.

We traveled to Bucuresti this weekend for the national AeroPress competition. It was a long drive, tiring, costly but so worth it.

Here are some of the pictures we took on this adventure.