CHANGE IS POSSIBLE!! When we started importing and roasting robusta in 2018, the status quo within the coffee industry was not supportive of robusta. In fact, robusta was overtly disdained (just ask the internet for receipts).
In the beginning, I worked out of a shared roasting facility to roast our Vietnamese coffee beans. Prior to this, I had no background in coffee, of course I felt a little intimidated! This insecurity was exacerbated by comments around me like, "What are you roasting? Oh... but robusta tastes like my grandma's socks." (Um, you ate your grandma's socks? 😂 )
Still, I persisted. This elitist dichotomy was wrong and perpetuated systems of inequity with robusta farmers worldwide. Vietnam is the #1 producer of robusta in the world, thus, in my mission to elevate Vietnam as a coffee origin, we were committed to rewriting the narrative on robusta and elevating the entire coffee species.
Today, the tide has definitely turned. Robusta is buzzing, not just in our homes and in mainstream media, but also in the specialty coffee community -- this is where the work compounds for global impact. Last Fall I spoke on a panel about robusta coffee in Costa Rica. Next month, I'll be speaking about robusta at the Specialty Coffee Association Expo. I am no longer shouting into the void alone; we are all in this together now.
In 2022, Nguyen Coffee Supply launched The Robusta Pledge. James Freeman, the founder of Blue Bottle Coffee, signed it. Two days ago, Blue Bottle Coffee (one of the pioneers of specialty coffee in America) released their first ever single origin ROBUSTA coffee! I am thinking about the critical, industry shifting, life changing work happening at origin (in this case, it's Brazil) all the way to roasting and consumption for this release to happen. By shifting the narrative, we are shifting entire systems GLOBALLY. Truly exciting, unprecedented times.
Nguyen Coffee Supply remains a small and mighty team. We punch way above our weight. I share this context to assert the Margaret Mead quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
It's a movement!! If you've been supporting us, THANK YOU for changing the world with us. If you haven't yet, you can sign our Robusta Pledge below: https://lnkd.in/eb6iTzRq
#robusta #specialtycoffee #coffeeindustry