6 things we look forward to in 2018

As we head into an exciting new year (THANK YOU OPRAH FOR ALREADY MAKING THIS AN AMAZING YEAR), we wanted to share our top objectives for the year. As a startup, many objectives tend to change on a monthly, if not weekly basis, but this year, we wanted to share some of our big goals with you. Mostly, so that you can hold us accountable to our plans and promises, and truly be part of our Voyage. So here are six things we’re looking forward to this year:

- Expansion of our program: After the successful test of our training module, we plan to scale our efforts to ensure that more female coffee producers and their communities can benefit from our holistic training program. As part of our expansion, we have sought out community-based organizations in the southern part of of Costa Rica & in Guatemala. Overall, we hope to increase our family from 18 to 75 female coffee producers by the end of 2018.

• New products: Last year, we received a great deal of feedback on the types of coffee that you enjoyed — both, the type of roasts and processes. At the end of February, when all the coffee from the harvest has been picked and processed, we hope to introduce a few new types of coffee. This will include new varieties and processes (read about the difference on our blog next week)!
• Graduation: Although we worked with a couple of producers in 2016 and 2017, this will be the year when we finally graduate our first class of producers (18 in total). The graduation ceremony will take place in October, and we hope to invite Q-Graders, renown roasters, and coffee personalities to attend the event and taste the coffee that has been produced, processed and roasted by our producers as a result of their dedication and hard work.

• Recruitment: We’re hoping to announce our first Board of Advisors in the coming weeks! Thus far, we’ve had an incredible pool of mentors, some of whom have guided our paths from the very beginning. However, we would like to recruit a formal group of people who will continue to guide us, and also help us grow in the coming year.

Photo: Unsplash

• Website makeover: We’re hoping to make our website even more user-friendly and add more dynamic storytelling features to it so that you can learn a lot more about our farmers, the impact of our work and the source of your coffee with more interactive options. We hope to have a makeover in the coming months, and re-launch the website by the middle of this year!

Image: Unsplash

• Connection: As an e-commerce platform, we’ve been guilty of being away from physical interaction with our customers and supporters. This year, we hope to make a concerted effort to be present at events, fairs and other opportunities throughout the year (and not just during holidays) so we can get your constant feedback, hear your experiences and share our stories. If you find a Bean Voyager (repping the aprons), come say hi!

Many of these tasks are quite massive, but we also have a truly incredible team. Together with your support, and the guidance of our mentors, we hope to make this a fabulous year. Here’s to many more cups of coffee and a beautiful year ahead!

Bean Voyage is a non profit that provides training and market access to female coffee producers in Costa Rica so they can produce specialty coffee, earn better income and lead sustainable lives.