When a Commodity Deal Becomes a Friendship
Updated: 5 days ago
One of the things I have come to appreciate most about commodity trading is that the relationships you build can sometimes become more valuable than the transaction itself.
I met Alice Stambuli in September 2021 through an Agricultural Fertiliser transaction.
At the time, we were simply two people connected by a commodity deal through Isak Jakob. We were discussing Urea 46N, sellers, specifications and the possibility of sourcing a genuine seller for her. I was acting as the seller's mandate, while Alice was the buyer.
Neither of us probably imagined that this first connection would eventually develop into a friendship that would continue for years.
But that is one of the things I have learned through my journey in commodities:
You never really know where one introduction will lead.
Then, in November of the same year, something happened that changed the nature of our relationship.
At the final stage of the transaction, I stopped Alice from issuing the SBLC to my seller.
Why? I had discovered that the seller had previously been involved in a transaction where another buyer had been defrauded.
I could not allow Alice to proceed without knowing this. Whatever happened to the transaction, I did not want her to suffer a financial loss because of something I had brought to her. It was a difficult decision because stopping a transaction at that stage meant walking away from a potential deal.
But for me, protecting the person on the other side of the transaction was more important than closing the transaction itself. The deal did not become a successful commodity transaction. But something more important came out of it.
A transaction opportunity became a friendship.
And someone I first met because of a commodity eventually became someone I genuinely care about.
From a Urea Deal to a Friendship
Over the years, we stayed in contact and continued to share conversations about business, commodities, opportunities and life. Our relationship gradually became much more than a business connection.
Then, in 2026, something happened that I found particularly meaningful.
Alice travelled halfway around the world from Malawi to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to meet with my urea seller.
Think about that for a moment.
A person I originally met through a urea transaction in 2021 travelled from Malawi to Vietnam several years later because of a business opportunity we were working on together.
For me, that journey represented more than a business meeting.
It represented trust
From Malawi to Ho Chi Minh City
Getting a Vietnamese visa for Alice's group was a nightmare.
Because of the foreign-exchange situation in Malawi, Alice did not have an international payment card that she could use for the application. I stepped in to help the group apply for their Vietnamese eVisas.
It was not easy.
After several applications were rejected, we finally managed to obtain the eVisas for all four members of the group.
They arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on 4 July 2026.
After all the stress of getting the visas sorted out, their arrival was a completely different experience.
The seller, Jimmy Cheng, was very kind and welcoming. He arranged a welcome seafood dinner for the group on their first evening in Ho Chi Minh City.
It was a lovely way to begin their visit.
And for me, it was also the beginning of a very special few days.
When Business Meets Friendship
For various reasons, the original urea transaction did not close immediately, particularly because of the current financial structure and constraints in Malawi.
But the end of one transaction does not necessarily mean the end of an opportunity.
For Alice, I believe the door is still open.
Whether through a revised financial structure proposed by the seller or through China Strategic Sourcing and development opportunities, we believe there are ways to work through the challenges and find a structure that can work for all parties.
The transaction may have been delayed, but the relationship has continued to grow.
This is something I have learned over the years in commodity trading.
Not every deal closes when we expect it to.
Sometimes the timing is wrong.
Sometimes the financial structure needs to change.
Sometimes the market conditions are not ready.
But when there is trust, patience and a genuine willingness to find solutions, an opportunity can remain open.
And in Alice's case, I am glad that our relationship has never been defined by whether one particular urea transaction succeeded or failed.
The business brought us together. The friendship kept us connected.
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