Matt
  • Male
  • Kigali
  • Rwanda
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  • Spyridon Gkinnis
  • Arthur Karuletwa
  • Darren Miles
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  • Heath Henley
  • Ben Kaminsky
  • Mark Inman
  • Miguel Zamora
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Profile Information

What is your position in the coffee industry?
barista, barista trainer, coffee enthusiast, industry professional, consultant
Where are you located? ( City and Country )
Kigali, Rwanda
How many years have you been in the industry?
9
If you are a barista or shop, are you interested in a barista exchange with another coffee shop/barista?
yes
About Me:
most recent update, working as a volunteer consultant to TechnoServe on the East Africa Coffee Initiative. I will be here for at least 6 months helping to develop a training program designed to help farmers looking to improve the quality of their coffee.

The project is working in Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia and aims to reach 180,000 farmers. As part of the quality platform, our goal is to make cupping labs available, and accessible to those farmers.
About My Company:
TechnoServe helps entrepreneurial men and women in the developing world to build businesses that provide jobs, income and economic opportunity. Since its founding in 1968, the U.S.-based nonprofit has helped to create or expand more than 2,000 businesses, benefiting millions of people in more than 30 countries. TechnoServe has been recognized as one of the world's "Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs" by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. In 2007, Charity Navigator also once again awarded its highest Four Star ranking to TechnoServe.

TechnoServe employs a bottom-up process that brings business advisors together with small-scale farmers earning less than $2 a day whose farms enjoy the unique agroclimatic conditions to produce coffee sought out by the world’s most discerning buyers.

“Producing gourmet wine requires the right soil, rainfall and altitude. The same is true for coffee,” says Browning.

TechnoServe has 40 years of experience working with small-scale coffee farmers. Over the past 10 years they have helped thousands of coffee farmers in Africa and Latin America to increase their incomes by improving the quality of their coffee.

TechnoServe provides the technical and business expertise farmers are looking for, and the farmers invest their own funds to upgrade quality and build a strong, reliable business that satisfies customer expectations. This has enabled farmer groups to sell directly to some of the world’s most demanding coffee buyers, and offers the potential for small-scale farmers to double their annual coffee income.
What is your favorite thing about the coffee industry?
the coffee, the community and the commitment to each other!
Website:
http://thejavajedi.blogspot.com

Comment Wall (21 comments)

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At 10:03am on July 8, 2009, Tina Muia said…
Matt how are you and were are you? I did not make it to the SCAA this year and we have the big car show in Pebble so all hands on deck the weekend of the Roaster Guild, I feel like I am falling behind. Anyway hope all is well with you.
At 9:01am on February 9, 2009, Arthur Karuletwa said…
Matt,
Believe it or not...I am still in Boston. I am hoping to make it, but it may be a long shot. I am at the verge of getting my permits to begin build out, and I have not one else able to attend the hearing. They are on Thursday!! I hope you got your coffee ok and I hope it was good. Its been long since I have been back and i cringe at not being there during this time. I hope quality is at par with everything there!
At 11:12am on January 27, 2009, Arthur Karuletwa said…
Hey Matt,
Still stuck in the cold in Boston. My wife, Amy is there ahead of me however. Please feel free to ask for her. Amy Karuletwa. She is expecting you and look forward to meeting.
See you soon!
At 2:24pm on January 26, 2009, Miguel Zamora said…
I am arriving on the 8th/9th, right before the conference. see you there, maybe we'll have a coffee at Cafe Bourbon...
At 3:38pm on January 9, 2009, Miguel Zamora said…
oak-town, yeah. thanks for the invitation!

i used to work with hillary mw (she is one of the heads of tns in tanzania), i'm not sure if you have met her yet but you probably will at some point when you get to africa (smart lady).

it is my first time in africa in general and i am super excited. i am going with other 2 bay areans. my other 2 colleagues will go to tanzania before rwanda.

i can be reached at mzamora@transfairusa.org
c u soon
At 3:19pm on January 9, 2009, Miguel Zamora said…
Hi Matt, searching for info on kigali in the bx I noticed that you plan to attend eafca and provide a cupping training. is this open to the public or part of your job supporting producers?

i plan to attend eafca and i an super excited about it. if your training is open to the attendees, i would love to learn more about it.

cheers
At 12:49pm on January 2, 2009, Arthur Karuletwa said…
Nice...Well, let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you with your move.
Was wondering about Peet's as I am working on a whole lot of green to get into good hands.
Will surely be in touch.
At 7:14am on January 2, 2009, Arthur Karuletwa said…
Looking forward to seeing you there...I am in Boston building a store. (coffee store.; Bourbon Coffee) in the Cambridge area.
Are you based in California?
You still at PEETS?
At 6:59am on January 1, 2009, Arthur Karuletwa said…
Hello Matt,
That is Great news! You are going to the right place and right company. Those guys are moving mountains and valleys with the work they are doing and the team they have built. If I was not doing what I am doing, I would be working with them!
I am currently in Boston but probably be in Rwanda mid January. When do you leave? We can chat anytime bud!
At 10:36am on December 17, 2008, Heath Henley said…
Yo! Well, I'm not sure about the USBC... I'd like to go, but since it is separate from conference this year it's going to be a little more difficult. I will, however, be at the mid-west and south-east regional. What's up with the job?
 
 
 

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