We’ve Got Some Training To Do

It’s right there in our tagline: We are here to make a difference and experience joy in the process.  Since early 2025, we’ve been making a difference by training the next generation of coffee professionals.

We’ve always found ways to support coffee farmers, particularly women. In recent years, we’ve blended the concept of impact with legacy, asking ourselves, “What legacy are we leaving for the next generation of the specialty coffee industry?”

So with “Brewing Africa’s Next Generation” as its theme, the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) conference in early February was a must-attend event for JNP Coffee.

I have attended AFCA just a few times. Back in 2019, I was a keynote speaker on ways to do more for producers through partnerships. This year, I was in Ethiopia to learn – to gain insights on market trends, other origins, and the next generation of coffee producers, roasters, café owners and baristas.

I was also there to spread the word that we won’t have a next generation of African coffee professionals if we don’t start training them now.

SCA Coffee Skills Camp March 9-14

Partnership remains the watchword for our work, as collaboration clearly magnifies the impact we can have. So together with the Specialty Coffee Association, we are offering a Coffee Skills Boot Camp in Bujumbura, Burundi, from March 9 to 14.

Using the SCA’s recently revamped curriculum, there are two tracks for skill-building:

·      Sensory Skills

·      Barista Skills

Instructors Ludovic Maillard and Ennio Cantergianni are offering intensive hands-on sessions to both beginner and intermediate-level students across the six days.

These classes are open to students from Burundi and neighboring countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and the DRC Congo. Sponsors are making this training affordable for any interested students to attend. Big shout-out to Ceado and Victoria Arduino, who supported us with their grinders and espresso machines.

It’s our responsibility to engage the young people of East Africa in learning about the gift that specialty coffee offers to their region. These crops, highly desirable around the world, lead to local, regional, and global employment opportunities. Those jobs present a sustainable path to fight poverty.

Back home in Burundi

I traveled home after AFCA to see family, connect with the JNP Coffee team, and ensure the cupping lab was prepared to host the Coffee Skills Camp trainees.

The word from the fields is that 2026 is shaping up to be a very large harvest, not surprising as natural cycles can fluctuate quite widely. Those volumes will inevitably pressure prices, and the C market is already seeing declines from last season’s record highs.

Burundi’s wet mills are preparing to open in just a few weeks, so certain regions are nearly ready for harvesting.

Our team enjoyed a rare meal together, as we have staff both in Bujumbura and up country, where our field manager is a Q Processor.

We continue to support our farmer partners to bring high-scoring coffees to the global marketplace. Help us bring more youth into our industry so that specialty coffee can continue to thrive as an industry.

These are exciting times for coffee.

You can reach us at info@jnpcoffee.com or sales@jnpcoffee.com to learn more about sampling these beautiful coffees in the near future.