It’s been a minute since we talked about it, but the Haiti Coffee Academy is a project that is very close to our hearts. In 2013, our founders traveled to Haiti with the intention of working alongside farmers to revitalize the Haitian coffee industry. Since then, the Academy has made some great progress and we’re excited to share it. We’re going to post regular updates so you can follow the amazing story of this neglected Haitian farm that we turned into a coffee school.
Here’s a quick rundown. In the past two and a half years, the Haiti Coffee Academy has accomplished:
– 27,500 trees planted
– 40,000 additional trees seeded
– 350 farming families trained
– 6 full-time employees
– 4 contract trainers
– 20 part-time assistants
But you’re probably wondering: what does the Academy actually do?
The Academy provides the coffee-growing community of southeast Haiti with materials and training to help farmers increase the production and quality of their coffee. Farming families can take classes on seedling care, pruning, best harvesting practices, and they receive the Academy’s support in bringing their beans to market.
With improved farming practices in the region, we’ve seen an amazing renaissance of Haitian coffee. It’s a really exciting time for the Haitian coffee industry, and we’re looking forward to many more harvests with our friends there.
Check back later this week to read about how we sourced our new Haiti Savan Zombi coffee…it’s a surprising story!