Anchoring The Bridge: Homage At Export
ANCHORING THE BRIDGE:
From the beginning, Jake and I set out to build a bridge between authentic coffee producers in East Africa and the global coffee market. Any bridge, to be an effective means of connection, must be both dependable and efficient, anchored securely at both ends. Since Homage Coffee Source is a US based sourcing company operated from Dallas, TX, our first point of connection is the local US market. Operating within our local market allows us to be more present day-to-day with our US roaster and importer partners, streamlining communication and strengthening supply chain logistics. To facilitate a direct access to our producer partners coffee, we have established export operations in Burundi and Uganda, anchoring the bridge between East Africa and the US on both ends.
In the specialty coffee industry, the role of the exporter is often overlooked, hidden somewhere in the middle of the supply chain - like a stage manager sustaining a show from behind the curtain - nobody directly experiences their work unless they are part of the production. Similarly, an exporter works to connect the dots between coffee producers and agents in the global market, quietly facilitating the movement and presentation of coffee from behind the scenes.
HOMAGE AT EXPORT:
Operating as an exporter in this capacity aligns with our key motivation to honor and promote specialty coffee and those who cultivate its value, while upholding our commitment to improve the supply chain we operate within. Positioning Homage as an exporter strengthens our supply chain by increasing our presence at origin, expanding our operating capacity, and streamlining the flow of coffee from producer to importer & roaster.
Although the primary function is to move goods out of the country, we see our export operations as an anchor at origin, stabilizing and facilitating work within the country. Stronger presence at origin opens the door to work more deeply with producers at the ground level, partnering through harvest season to uphold quality from cherry selection to processing and milling. Additionally, our partnership with producers now reaches beyond the coffee Homage sells direct to roaster in the US, as we are able to connect producers and their diverse range of coffees to unique markets around the globe.
As the exporter of our producer partners coffee, we open the door for importers and roasters to secure coffee at FOB in Burundi and Uganda. Our increased presence at origin and license to export allow us to work behind the scenes with importing companies to procure a diverse range of coffee from producers across the country, while facilitating and strengthening the direct trade, forward contracts we offer roasters, providing unhindered access to coffee at its source.
For more information on how we use Forward Contracts, check out our blog post “Forward Contracts & Direct Access.”