WHO WE ARE
At Homage, we partner with producers in East Africa to elevate coffee quality, facilitate export, and promote their craft in the marketplace. By transforming meaningful relationships into equitable partnerships, we bridge the gap between coffee producers and the global coffee market, providing direct access to roasters and importing companies.
JAKE SMITH
Jake is co-founder of Homage Coffee Source and serves as the organization’s head of sourcing and sales. You can usually find him around a cupping table, doing any outdoor activity, or working with our producer partners to find a home for their carefully cultivated green coffee.
Jake’s passion for quality coffee comes from his desire to understand and celebrate coffee and the people who help it come to life. In college, Jake helped start a roasting company with a few friends. The experience ultimately led him to move to origin, working for one of the leading coffee producing companies in burundi.
During Jake’s time in Burundi, he managed washing stations and supervised quality control, working closely alongside farmers. The experience opened his eyes to the power coffee has to revolutionize families and their communities. Filled with this realization, Jake feels the obligation to further foster the transformational power of coffee by connecting producers and roasters who elevate and honor the craft.
Jake has experience managing coffee quality, has spent time as a head roaster, and has served as a green coffee buyer. His exposure to the different stages of coffee development has only strengthened his appreciation for the artistry and care that goes into making unique, quality coffee. He is Also a Certified q-Grader.
KEATON SCHAEFFER
Keaton is co-founder of Homage Coffee Source and serves as the organization’s director of OPERATIONS & FINANCE. You’ll typically find him trying out new strategies to optimize operations, managing the coffee supply chain, reading a book, or fixing pretty much any computer issue.
Keaton graduated from Texas A&M University and worked with Jake to realize their college dream of starting a roasting company. As a roaster, Keaton experienced the ability of coffee to bring communities together and create a feeling of belonging. He now brings that vision to Homage as the company looks to unite producers and roasters to celebrate what we have in common as global citizens.
As an entrepreneur in residence at Startup Aggieland, Keaton’s background includes experience as a business development strategist and IT consulting.
Keaton’s return to coffee was fueled by his deep-rooted passion for the product, the industry, and the people who cultivate its value. He is motivated by deepening relationships, increasing quality, and utilizing coffee’s global footprint to honor and serve coffee farmers, roasters, and consumers.
WHAT WE DO
AT HOMAGE, WE ARE MOTIVATED BY QUALITY COFFEE, ITS GLOBAL FOOTPRINT, AND ITS CAPACITY TO IMPACT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES.
WE ARE determined to DEVELOP MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH the people and communities we touch, from the PRODUCEr, to the ROASTER, AND end consumer.
We are dedicated to honor, promote, and connect those who are diligent in cultivating and expressing their craft, and generating OPPORTUNITIES FOR COLLECTIVE GROWTH.
ORIGIN:
We are diligent in our pursuit of quality coffee, thoroughly evaluating coffee quality and potential, while cultivating and upholding authentic partnerships across east africa.
we spend time with each of our producer partners to understand their operation, evaluating strengths and weaknesses, and identifying growth opportunities.
after investigating the operating environment, we work out a fair price for the coffee - a price that supports the producer and upholds a growth trajectory, while also generating opportunities throughout the supply chain.
Through our exporting offices in burundi and uganda, we are able to move the coffee out of the country for our producer partners, and be their advocate in the market, promoting their coffee to buyers around the world.
LOGISTICS:
THrough our operation in Burundi and Uganda, we facilitate export for our producer partners in east africa, and coordinate logistics to international coffee markets.
we coordinate sea freight and import logistics to securely move the coffee from origin to market.
In north america, Our coffee is consolidated and stored in Continental terminals in New Jersey, Dupuy Storage IN houston, and the annex warehouse IN oakland.
additionally, through our TEAMS in burundi and uganda, we export and sell coffee direct to roasters and other importing companies, providing access to the coffee at FOB.
ROASTER:
At Homage, all coffee is sourced, shipped, and sold with integrity, transparency, and traceability.
We are passionate about the coffee we source, and the people who diligently cultivate its quality. WE only offer coffee with a quality we are proud to stand behind, and from people we are proud to advocate for.
All coffee is sold on a forward basis, increasing access to unique coffees that stand out on the cupping table, and add balance to a roast menu. All lots are highly traceable and uniform - We offer pre-ship samples, with arrival samples upon request.
We are dedicated to paying the producer generously and streamlining our own operation to offer high quality coffee at a price that creates opportunity for the roaster as well.
We bridge the gap between the Roaster and Producer, facilitating connection rather than standing in between.