What a long, strange trip it has been—and it's only getting stranger!

Some years ago, I started and owned a medium-sized roasting company. We bought and roasted coffee from around the world, with the majority coming from Latin America. I even learned Spanish fluently and attended graduate Spanish school in Mexico. With my law degree, I've been fortunate to make enough money to live comfortably, allowing me to work with the needy, particularly indigenous peoples in Mexico and Colombia. I am also married to a wonderful woman who is Hispanic, bilingual and bicultural.

We work together. We genuinely enjoy almost everything about coffee, from the farm to the table. It's a fascinating world to be part of, filled with romance, mystique, and the energy that gets you out of bed in the morning! We live on our boat near Seattle. On board, we home roast Kogi coffee and make a great cup of espresso with our little home espresso machine. The coffee is so smooth that it is good straight, good as an Americano, and smoothest as a Café Latte.

Like everything in life, a principal issue is: “What is the heart of the matter?”

When we had little kids, the heart of the matter was preparing them for a happy and successful life. We left Capitol Hill in Seattle and moved across the Puget Sound, buying a house on a cul-de-sac where the kids could safely ride their bicycles in a kid-friendly neighborhood. I used to make fun of people who lived on cul-de-sacs, but I became one of them for the sake of the kids.

On a larger scale, our hearts are focused on living a life where people, animals, and the planet are cared for. We work for justice, including social justice. While we don’t live on the edge of poverty and do consume, we strive to live in the least damaging way possible while still enjoying life. Even though we have enough money to retire, our entire business is financed by my work fighting for justice in law.

Now, let’s talk about the coffee.

When it comes to gourmet coffee, it’s not just about good taste; it’s about understanding processing, roasting, and selecting the coffee beans that make great coffee. Arabica coffee beans are the best tasting, and the country and farm where they’re grown significantly impact the flavor. If you’re trained and have the proper taste buds, you can even distinguish subtle flavor notes in coffee. It’s a pastime and hobby that we truly enjoy.

‍The Kogi coffee (coffee produced by the Kogi People, of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in Colombia), is grown high in the rain forests located in northern Colombia, is of exceptional quality. The tribe’s culture is centered on caring for the planet, and they cultivate and process their coffee in the sun of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the State of Magdalena. They do not use chemical fertilizers or insecticides. While there are very good coffees from large farms worldwide (and cheaper), we choose not to purchase them because our purpose is to help the Kogi people at the same time as bringing you excellent coffee grown and cultivated so not to damage the earth.

Our main purpose is both to bring you great coffee and support the Kogi

The Kogi responsibly interact with the planet and have a vital message of conservation for the whole world. They produce excellent coffee, which we buy at a premium over other buyers, not for profit, but for a loving, responsible action to bring you excellent coffee while helping the Kogi learn how to market their product. Coffee sales are their only source of income, and they live in economic need high in the mountains.

BTW: I’m somewhat amazed by the hype around coffee. Yes, we all want excellent coffee, but coffee flavor only goes so far. While there are subtle differences, most consumers won’t detect them. Yet, marketing efforts try to make you feel special for buying expensive coffees. And although many think that the coffee from the large “gourmet” companies is very good, frankly, is often not very good in the cup.

We may or may not have the best gourmet coffee, but we have very good coffee that comes with a heart. As I stated, aside from bringing you great coffee, our focus is on helping the Kogi people. Coffee is our entrance into their lives. We pay more and care for them, providing medicine and even food when needed. Our mission is to help them, protect the environment, and promote healthy and fair coffee industry practices.

Highlight company impact by the numbers

To accomplish our mission, we need to sell their green coffee. We warehouse our coffee in the Seattle area and can ship anywhere, but we cannot fill small orders. We have a minimum purchase requirement of a 70-kilo bag of coffee and hope that those who roast lots of coffee will buy 10 or more bags of 70 kilos.

So, the question is, are our hearts in the same place? If so, we have excellent coffee for your customers, and together, we can help the Kogi people and promote care for the planet and its inhabitants.

50%

Of profits go to helping the Kogi Tribe.