Out of Africa and into the Darkside

Good Morning Coffee Lovers,

Welcome to the Darkside. Well, Darkside coffee from Zimbawe that is. That's what we've got roasting this morning; and it represents a global issue in my Vermont coffee mug. As our world map of visitors illustrates, Brown and Jenkins is located in the Green Mountains, but connected to the world.

What happened to the Kenya coffee?

For a while now, I've been challenged to source many African coffees due to a number of economic, civil and weather related issues. (Sure makes me pause and think about how fortunate we are here in the United States to live in relative peace and prosperity.) In fact, a recent IPS news story on Kenyan coffee growers indicates that the smaller growers are struggling to make a living on this once thriving market. The bottom like for us is that I just can't get enough good Kenyan coffee for our local and online coffee customers.

Why are we bringing back Zimbabwe coffee?

Many of you might remember that we used to carry a very popular Zimbabwe coffee that we had to stop carrying for similar reasons. As the climate in that African country has shifted, so has the coffee bean situation. We’ve been able to source this winey and fruity coffee from a small, family owned estate in southern Kenya. I can't promise how long this fortunate situation will last but, for their sake and ours, I hope it's a good long time.

Any African visitors at Brown and Jenkins?

As mentioned earlier, our world map is filling up with pins from visitors the world over. In fact, during this recent fall foliage season we had several visitors from South Africa as well as the UK, Italy, Jakarta, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India. Whether you are Vermont local, or a friend from abroad, I hope you'll enjoy our latest addition to the Brown and Jenkins' coffee line.

Until our next cup,
Sandy Riggen