Today we’d like to introduce you to Mallery Neptune
Hi Mallery, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory
Our brand was created out of a need to protect a vulnerable group of coffee farmers living high in the mountains of Haiti. In 2017 Hurricane Matthew barreled through the area, destroying crops and demolishing nearly every home, school, and community building. Our nonprofit ministry, Haiti Foundation Against Poverty, came alongside the community members to help them replant crops and replace animals, to support them in the regaining of their livelihoods. When their first coffee harvest was in sight, the farmers were increasingly worried about being taken advantage of by large coffee traders. The coffee industry is a major abuser of human rights with widespread violations for child labor, inhumane living conditions, lack of latrines, and unfair wages. In an effort to secure the farmers with living wages and see empowerment and investment come to fruition for the community, we began Avanti Coffee Company. When our coffee project began I had been living in Haiti for eight years. My husband is not only native to Haiti, but his family hails specifically from the village we committed to helping. He comes from a long line of generational Haitian coffee farmers. Starting Avanti Coffee Company has allowed him to dig into his roots and offer economic stability for his people. The word Avanti means “adventure” in Haitian Creole. We started our company by planting seeds and seedlings alongside our farmers. It has been an incredible adventure to take coffee from seed to cup with entirely ethical and organic practices.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been smooth and enjoyable times when we can fully see and appreciate the impact being made, but success rarely comes without trials. Owning a business that operates in two countries and in multiple languages only adds to those trials, but I like to think they make the victories that much sweeter too. We officially launched Avanti Coffee Company in July of 2020. Our timing of launching a new business in the middle of a pandemic was less than ideal, but the coffee beans were ready and our farmers needed economic improvements to happen quickly. Their very lives and the preservation of their families depended on it. The marketing and sales of our coffee needed to divert from traditional methods to creating exclusive online excitement. We found it far more difficult to sell a cup of specialty coffee with words, verses being able to offer samples at local markets and pop-ups. We have experienced a number of other bumps along the road like delayed shipments of packaging and increased shipping rates. Overall, the silver lining as been that we sell a product still in demand. Pandemic or not, we need our coffee!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Avanti is direct trade, organic, low-acid coffee. Avanti’s premium coffee beans are grown on the mountaintops along the southern peninsula of Haiti. Our all-organic farming methods and meticulous picking, drying and roasting, creates high quality coffee beans. Avanti Coffee Company was established to revitalize the land and economy of a humble mountain village after a hurricane destroyed generational farms leaving the villagers without their livelihoods. Our direct trade model allows your coffee to have greater purpose. Consumers can sip Avanti coffee, knowing that what keeps them going also keeps families united and empowered to thrive in the remote village of Chambellan, Haiti. We are proud to work with a local, family-owned roasting company who small batch roasts all of our coffee with incredible skill and precision. We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new merchandise store! (Launches Wednesday, Jan 6th) When we began dreaming about an Avanti Coffee Company merchandise store, we knew it wouldn’t be just any ordinary merchandise store. In order to fit into our brand and heartbeat, every product would need to meet three distinct criteria: 1. Be ethically made, ensuring people and our planet were protected along the way. 2. Be created with incredible quality, reflecting what we have already accomplished in the quality of our beans, roasting, packaging, etc. 3. Have significant purpose, deepening the power and impact of each purchase. For example, an Avanti T-shirt could never be just a graphic T-shirt, in the same way that Avanti coffee is not just a cup of coffee. It is family preservation. It is empowerment. It is justice. It is dignity. It is orphan prevention. It is freedom. We cannot wait to see the impact our Avanti family will make with every purchase!
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Ethical practices from seed to cup. We exist to protect people from start to finish. At Avanti Coffee Company, we believe there is delicious about a cup of coffee if it exploited the ones who farmed it. Our coffee, and every product in our merchandise store, was created to empower and protect its makers. If we protect people and have a positive global impact, then we consider that a success.
Pricing:
- $15.95 – 12oz bag of coffee
- Discounted Subscription Boxes Available
Contact Info:
- Email: avanti@avanticoffeecompany.com
- Website: avanticoffeecompany.com
- Instagram: @avanticoffeeco
- Facebook: @avanticoffeeco
Image Credits
Pierre Frentz Neptune
