This is not the year we expected.
Global economies came to a standstill. And yet … the harvest season still arrived.
Burundi saw more than its share of rain. And yet … this year’s coffee demonstrates exceptional quality.
I am excited to report there are new naturals and an entirely new terroir in our JNP Coffee portfolio. In Karusi Province, located due east of Ngozi and Gitega provinces, the trees, some only five years old, are producing beautiful cherries. A very clean coffee, it’s showing good potential.
A new source in Kayenza Province is revealing really superb coffee, scoring mostly 86 and above. Farmers harvesting coffee in both of these additional locations are benefiting from JNP Coffee’s Dushime™ program, receiving second payments for producing such high-quality coffee.
While still a small-scale operation, supplies are looking good for Turihamwe, the well-received coffee from International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) members now in its second year, processed at the women-owned washing station. Available both fully washed and natural, its sweet and citrus flavors have scored consistently well.
Quality is indeed a multiplier of opportunity. Our dedicated women and men coffee farmers continue to learn new practices that deliver exceptional coffee and earn the premium payments that create new opportunities in their communities.
Our natural Bavyeyi II coffee is on offer again this season. The cherries grown at high altitudes in this remote area of Ngozi Province are harvested by an experienced group of about 600 farmers, many of them Muslim women, who also benefit from our Dushime™ premium payments.
We are grateful for a good harvest and celebrate the ways coffee can support so many families in Burundi who seek a path out of poverty.
And yet … here in the United States we face demands for change – for new opportunities for people of color that counter our long history of systemic racism. As protests continue across the nation, in my role as a Black woman business owner and leader in the Specialty Coffee Association US chapter, I feel it is critical to begin new conversations with my coffee colleagues to recognize how change is possible and take steps to make our global industry more inclusive of people whose contributions have gone unrewarded.
At JNP Coffee, we believe we are here to make a difference. And that mission is as true in the United States as it is in Burundi. We want to empower people through coffee, whether farmers in Burundi or roasters, café owners and baristas in America.
Join us in our work. Micro-lots of this year’s harvest are ready to order for delivery. Given the
transportation challenges presented by the pandemic, early orders are encouraged. We are ready to share samples with our clients.
Give me a call at 858-518-7437 or email at info@jnpcoffee.com to find how you can connect with a more meaningful cup of coffee. I look forward to new conversations.