Happy Accident: Our Collaboration with Yuni Coffee Company
If you’ve been hanging with us for a while, you probably know the story of how we accidentally found ourselves coffee roasters. If you’re new and have time for a quick read, you should check out our story here. In the words of Bob Ross, it was a “happy accident”.
One of the best things about being a small local business is the ability to adjust and pivot quickly. It gives us the opportunity to find ourselves in a lot of happy accidents—things we maybe didn’t set out to do but are delighted to find ourselves in the middle of. We can, quite easily, say, ‘yes’. And one of the best things about living and owning a business in the town you grew up in is how, after a while, you know everybody even when you don’t.
For example, we didn’t really know Mikel Berger, the recently appointed President and CEO of Greater Lafayette Commerce. Except that we kind of did. Big E actually went to college with his brother. His son is in marching band with our son. And we are friends with his previous business partner. But we didn’t really know him. Until we found ourselves together in the middle of our Venn diagram this summer, chatting about life, and parenting and, as it always seems to end up, coffee.
Turns out Mikel is a fan of coffee. So he ordered some of ours. And then we kept finding ourselves in the same overlapping circles, talking about life and, again, coffee.
The Source
When we found ourselves accidentally in the coffee roasting business, we knew we were entering a market with unfair labor practices and a long history of exploitation. So we made a decision to be intentional when exploring bean options, willing to pay a little more for beans to promote healthy growing practices. It matters to us how our coffee is grown.
We were quite excited to learn about Yuni Coffee Company and all the things they’re doing for coffee farmers in the Houphan Province of Laos. We could tell you about them, but we think they do a better job:
“Since 2015, Yuni Coffee Company’s mission has remained steadfast: to provide hope and opportunity for families and their villages through the development of the specialty coffee industry in Northern Laos. Our name ‘YUNI,’ which translates to ‘here’ in the Lao language, underscores our commitment to on-the-ground initiatives. We establish long-term partnerships with farming villages to foster lasting change and development within the communities and villages that our partners cherish and call home. The impact is tangible as the coffee industry flourishes, one farming family at a time.”
Yuni Coffee Company is “Here for Good.” And we just really love that. And we encourage you to read more about it.
The Beans
Now let’s talk about these beans, because we were just as excited about them.
Xam Tai Natural Yeast Process Coffee beans: “This fruit-forward complex coffee blends a deep red wine-like ferment with a surprisingly bright citrus acidity and notes of strawberry and tamarind.”
Doesn’t that sound delicious? Let’s just hope we can do the bean justice. It is a learning experience for us as well.
IF you found this page it probably means, Mikel shared a bag with you. We hope you enjoy them, and we encourage you to check out Yuni Coffee Company—and then try some of ours. We’re so grateful for this opportunity to collaborate, and we wish Mikel the best in his new role at Greater Lafayette Commerce.
