Bourbon Coffee

About

Direct-Trade Specialty Coffee from Rwanda. Naturally Crop to Cup.

Story

Bourbon Coffee is an international brand of specialty coffee, and the first retail brand to originate from Africa. Our retail brand is built around the philosophy of producing great coffee from "crop to cup." By building the brand in this manner we are able to directly impact the value equation for coffee farmers in Africa.

Bourbon launched its first store in the US in Washington, DC in July 2009, its second store in New York City in December 2010 and its newest store in Cambridge Massachusetts in December 2011

Mission

We entered the international market with the goal of introducing fine coffees of Africa to consumers and promoting our mandates for the brand: Economic development, Sustainable Practices, Uncompromising Quality and Cultural Integrity.

QUALITY:
- Buy coffee directly from farmers who are trained in growing methods of specialty coffee
- Transport out own green coffee to market to ensure transparency, eliminate middleman, and guarantee quality

EQUITY:
- Create a New approach in the world of coffee: Engage at every link of the coffee chain from crop to cup and return higher prices to community farmers than conventional coffee traders
- Create a new approach to economic development in Africa - be an African company stepping up the value chain to participate directly in the global marketplace

SUSTAINABILITY:
- Commit to full carbon neutrality - Founding sponsor of the GeoCO2 Carbon-Neutral Coffee program, helping rural communities market carbon credits and move toward carbon-neutral coffee while they build effective energy solutions for their communities
- Bourbon is a local sponsor of the Project Rwanda Coffee Bike program, providing efficient work bikes to Rwandan coffee farmers in rural communities
- Sponsoring partner of the GeoTrace bar code traceability and quality assurance program. Elevating the quality of coffee and helping rural farmers monitor their production reduces pressure on the land and lays a foundation for a whole range of sustainable agricultural practices

CULTURAL INTEGRITY:
- Commit to reconciliation and cultural integrity. Commit to reaching across cultural boundaries with the message of cultural integrity and reconciliation
- Pioneer the "global village" marketing concept, using the Internet to create tangible connections between consumers and growers

Products

Featuring strictly hard-bean Arabica coffees from the five signature coffee regions of Rwanda: Kizi Rift, Kivu Lake, Virunga Mountain, Muhazi Lake, and Akagera Wildlife