JNP Coffee partners with USAID to establish coffee-focused academy in Burundi

BURUNDI – Green coffee trading company JNP Coffee has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a coffee academy which will equip women and youth with the skills required for a robust coffee economy in the East African nation.

The Coffee Academy of Burundi is set to be located alongside existing JNP Coffee operations in Bujumbura, Burundi’s largest city, and will be a year-round educational hub and training center.

The initiative is expected to create 600 jobs and projected to increase coffee exports to the United States by US$400,000 in 2026.

Over 23 months, the partnership will establish a coffee micro-lot dry mill, purchase equipment, and construct a Coffee Academy. The Academy also seek to stimulate trade and investment in Burundi.

“While both sides have a steep learning curve on how to co-create these projects together, we are grateful to have the strength and support of USAID behind these projects,” Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, founder and CEO of JNP Coffee, said in the press release.

“Our success will also mean greater progress for the people of Burundi, which serves the core mission of JNP Coffee.”

Training will be provided by consultant experts using training material sourced from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), where 100 women and youth will receive training to become qualified baristas, cuppers, coffee processors, roasters, and marketers.

JNP Coffee seeks partners to join this venture to deliver transformational results for these student cohorts.

JNP Coffee was established in 2012 by Niyonzima-Aroian, a native of Burundi, to bring the Burundian coffee to the world stage and establish more economic opportunities for women in the small, densely populated nation of about 13.6 million people.

In addition to its presence in Massachusetts and Burundi, JNP Coffee also has operations in Germany, sourcing specialty coffees grown in the mountains of Burundi that are notable for their sweet fruit and floral characteristics.

In March 2024, JNP Coffee appointed Gerra Harrigan as director of sales & strategy. She joined JNP Coffee from Mighty Peace, where she was green coffee director, after a long time as a trader with Interamerican Coffee.

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