Coffee Story| Zion Coffee tells you the story of "the other end of the glass"

Original address in English:

Http://dailycoffeenews.com/2017/02/14/zion-coffee-connects-customers-to-the-other-side-of-the-cup/

Author: Howard Bryman

Banu and Mike Hatfield firmly believe that every ordinary person can achieve extraordinary things. To prove it, in the simplest way, the two are helping operators from Peoria, Illinois, to greater success.

Zion Coffee, which they run, hopes to help coffee shop operators experience the "bean-to-cup" journey and show them how much impact a cup of ordinary coffee can have on people in the coffee business up the chain.

Three years after its establishment, the company decided to open its own coffee shop in Peoria, located at 803 SW Adams Street. Brand new white walls and transparent windows, with custom white Mahlkonig K30 Air bean grinder and 3 Baratza Forte bean grinders, you can taste V60 hand brewed coffee or Bunn Trifecta single cup brewed coffee here.

"We want to bring something new to this city, pure, fresh and open." "We have successfully integrated into the city and the company is thriving," Zion Coffee founder Banu Harfield said in an interview with Daily Coffee News. That's what we want to do. We want to be a coffee pioneer in this market. "

It can be said that Zion Coffee brought real coffee to this city. None of the beans baked by Zion Coffee in the Probat 12 stroke 2 roaster placed in the glass room of the coffee shop come from raw bean importers. They only bake, sell and make beans purchased through direct or personal channels from growers in Guatemala and Nicaragua. According to the company, they will start selling Burundian coffee by the end of this year.

"the direct cooperation with the plantation is the foundation of the company, and we will make this model bigger in the future." Hatfield said. He said that many local coffee operators are eager to communicate face-to-face with growers of their origin in order to increase the transparency and traceability of their sources. "We are going to pierce the window paper between the coffee shop operator and the grower."

In addition to bringing higher returns to growers, Zion Coffee also provides micro-loans and other investment programs to help local communities improve education, health care and other facilities, and bring more social resources to growers.

"We are well aware of the difficulties we face, but we really want to open a window for coffee lovers to understand the other side of the cup." Hatfield said. In order to promote the concept of the company, they also plan to invest in a 25-minute film documenting the lives of people in the country of origin, as well as their stories and dreams.

"We both have good jobs and we don't do it for money. For us, the most important thing is to tell people the story at the other end of the industrial chain. " Hatfield said. Last month, the company just sent its documentary team to shoot in Guatemala next month. The film is expected to be completed before the boutique Coffee Association (SCA) exhibition in April.

At present, the documentary has entered the final editing stage. The company's baking business is also booming, and the company plans to continue to expand its procurement and baking volume.

"We want to whet our customers' appetite and introduce them to new beans, new baking and brewing methods." Hatfield said. Recently, the company mainly uses light roasting to maximize the original taste of coffee. "We mainly use light baking, but if deep baking is also amazing, we will try it."

"I believe Zion Coffee will become an international brand." "We have stories, we have enthusiasm, and consumers want to be more connected to the origin of coffee," Hatfield said.