COVID-19 Focus: Perspective form Burundi w/ Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, JNP Coffee

Today we are hearing from Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, the Founder and President of JNP Coffee, Burundi Coffee importer and exporter in operation since 2012. Jeanine grew up in Burundi and left to pursue her education earning an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School and had a 20-plus-year international business career that helped her find her way back to Burundi and to coffee. It was at a “Cup of Excellence” competition that she recognized the potential of the exceptional coffees of Burundi. She saw the opportunity to promote these coffees in the global market as a means of helping the farmers, her people. Today JNP Coffee is known for the award-winning specialty coffees they source and the good works and leadership they provide at origin. As a licensed Q grader, she continues to advance the global specialty coffee industry. Her business model is driven by quality coffee and is based on strong producer partnerships, sharing knowledge, promoting gender equality, and supporting education in financial literacy and leadership, all to empower the farmers and their families in her native country.  Today we are talking with Jeanine about how JNP is responding to the current crisis and also how things look on the ground for the farmer she works with in Burundi.  This is a very important discussion as it give perspectives on the relationship between producers and consumers that I believe will inspire how we conduct business as retailers in the future. It's all about empathy, connection, resiliency, and working with each other to increase access to the great coffees our customers have yet to discover.    Links: JNP Coffee Burundi Friends International   All COVID-19 Focus and Relevant Episodes: On a Resilient Coffee Community Hope in Difficult Times w/ Kathy Turiano General Guidance on Talking with Banks and Landlords w/ Marshall Fuss, Attorney at Law Erica Escalante, The Arrow Coffeehouse Karl Purdy, Coffee Angel in Dublin, Ireland  The Future of Retail w/ Doug Stephens Impact on the Supply Chain w/ Ricardo Pereira, COO, Ally Coffee Straight Talk for Coffee Retailers w/ The Retail Doctor, Bob Phibbs Jonathan Pascual of Taproom Coffee and Beer, Atlanta, GA Refining your Leadership and Systems in a Crisis Shift Break: Development in a Crisis Shift Break: Grace and Hight Standards Shift Break: Keep or Throw Away Maxwell Mooney, Narrative Coffee   Keys to the Shop Consulting: www.keystotheshop.com/consulting [email protected]