About us

JNP COFFEE

Coffee is an important cultural connection between those who understand the effort of quality and those who appreciate it in the cup.

JNP Coffee sources exceptional coffees grown in the mountains of Burundi that are notable for their pleasant brightness, and fruit and floral characteristics. All of our coffees are small production lots prized by experts and by coffee lovers. The quality is genuine and pure.

Our growers at origin are our partners. We recognize the quality they achieve and pay for the value. We support growers by sharing knowledge, encouraging pioneering efforts, and promoting good stewardship of the environment. We practice transparency by knowing the farmers we work with and the coffee they produce.

In Burundi, we have a special relationship with women’s co-ops and purchase the majority of coffee grown by the women of the local chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA). We bring their unique coffees and special stories of empowerment to the market.

Our Founder

Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian

As a child growing up in Burundi’s capital city, Bujumbura, Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian recalls her mother telling the story of her entire family cultivating coffee in Ngozi Province to pay for school fees. Years later, Jeanine earned an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and enjoyed a 20-plus-year international business career that led her back to Burundi and to coffee.

At a Cup of Excellence competition, she recognized the potential of the exceptional, but unknown coffees of Burundi and saw the opportunity to promote these coffees in the global market as a means of advancing the farmers, her people.

In 2012, Jeanine founded JNP Coffee. Today her company is known for its award-winning specialty coffees and the gender-sensitive development strategies it enables at origin. Jeanine serves as a role model for what a Burundian woman can achieve in her country. As a licensed Q. Grader and certified Q. processor Level 1, she continues to strengthen the global specialty coffee industry. She educates her peers through her online Business Chats convened for the Specialty Coffee Association’s US chapter. She is currently a member of the SCA Board of Directors.

The Business Model

The JNP Coffee business model is driven by quality based on strong producer partnerships and shared knowledge in pursuit of several United Nations sustainable development goals.

JNP Coffee encourages transformational change for local coffee farmers by promoting gender equality, supporting financial literacy education and developing leadership skills. These efforts to empower the farmers and their families build resilience and expand their coffee production capacity.

Strategic Partnerships

JNP Coffee multiplies its efforts by partnering with organizations that promote inclusive development strategies in Burundi.

Burundi Friends International

Burundi Friends International is a nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Jeanine. It focuses on uniting and educating youth, women and men through education and economic empowerment to help create self-sustaining communities.

International Women's Coffee Alliance

JNP Coffee works with the IWCA Burundi Chapter to support and empower women coffee growers. Based on this partnership, JNP Coffee expanded and strengthened a bonus program based on the quality of the harvest. Today, more than 6,000 women and their families benefit from their share of quality premium achieved in world markets.

Our Vision

It's not enough to just pay farmers more.

We believe that quality coffee can create a future of hope for the people of Burundi by rewarding growers, building self-esteem, and subtly shifting social norms for women and youth. We support our belief by bringing the fine coffees created by the people of Burundi to our valued clients and coffee lovers. Together we can become the model for the next generation of coffee companies and growers and move confidently toward a better future.

View lots