We believe the best way to start something new is to jump in with coffee in hand. However, if you want to do something greater, you better start with great coffee.
Before Grace Farms opened in 2015, a generous supporter of Grace Farms offered to source, roast, and provide all the coffee pro bono. This incredible act of generosity inspired us to work together with Armenia Coffee to find the best possible cup of coffee we could offer. Sharon Prince, Grace Farms Foundation Founder and CEO, asked that the coffee not only be exceptionally delicious, but also sourced from female farmers and be ethically sourced to ensure worker's rights were protected.
The team at Armenia Coffee used its deep relationships within the coffee industry to identify three female-led co-ops that were growing and harvesting a greater coffee than most suppliers.
The first source identified was the Asoprosierra Collectivo of the Santa Marta de Sierra Nevada mountain range in Colombia. Located in the mountainous northern area of Colombia, the Asoprosierra Collectivo grows organic, shade grown Castillo and Colombian coffee varieties.
The second source identified was the Ketiara Co-op of western Sumatra located in the Gayo Highlands. The Ketiara Co-op is an inspiring story of a community of coffee farmers that has grown in size and impact of empowering women's financial independence. The Ketiara Co-op began as a small group of female farmers and has grown to more than 500 farmers in recent years.
Lastly, we partnered with Dumerso coffee to source an heirloom arabica varietal from the Yirgacheffee region of southern Ethiopia. The woman-led co-op has over 290 workers, 95% of which are women. With over 90% of people involved in the coffee industry, it is a dominant source of livelihood and an important part of the community.
These three coffees then unite at a state-of-the-art coffee roaster to be perfectly roasted and blended together to make a cup of coffee that is balanced, flavorful, and filled with purpose.
When we describe River Roast as a convening coffee we don't think of it as just bringing people together at Grace Farms, which it does. Rather, we also think of it as bringing together communities around the world to create something beautiful together. In many ways River Roast is a perfect example of working together to create something that ends up creating something even greater.
We hope you enjoy River Roast as much as we do and share it with someone special.