SOURCED FROM THE BIRTHPLACE OF COFFEE

FOUNDED IN MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

OUR STORY

Safari Pride Coffee was founded in Minneapolis, MN in 1995 by Samuel Ngwa, an immigrant from the North West region of Cameroon, West Africa where his family cultivated coffee for generations from the birthplace of coffee. As a child, Samuel helped hand-pick ripe cherries from coffee trees, which were later pulped, fermented, washed, and dried into parchments that were sold to the Bamenda Area Cooperative Union Limited, a local cooperative. The earnings from this toil sustained the family and helped pay for necessities such as school fees.

At the time, coffee meant nothing more to him than a strenuous chore that afforded the opportunity to earn an education. It was not until years later in the 1970s as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin did he notice that the ripe cherries he grew up cultivating were actually processed and brewed into a cherished drink, drank by many on campus and the world at large. This discovery piqued an interest in finding more about the processes involved in creating the treasured cup of coffee.

Upon graduating and returning to Cameroon, he learned of a USAID program that taught local cooperatives how to improve various phases of coffee production, roasting and export. He joined the program to learn about coffee roasting and processing. Through that experience, he discovered that coffee cultivated from the region was routinely graded higher but consistently undervalued and sold to European roasters at commercial grade coffee (commodity) prices thereby not providing an adequate income for the farmer, a relic of the country's colonial past. Wanting to make a change and to diversify away from that practice, he immigrated to the USA to create a non-European based market for Cameroonian coffee, as well as all the other high quality, tasty African coffees he had encountered on his travels across the continent.

Safari means expedition, journey, and or voyage in Swahili and Arabic. Safari Pride Coffee was created to proudly take consumers on an expedition across Africa exploring the various unique and enjoyable coffees the continent has to offer.

Story about Samuel: https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/north-minneapolis-business-profile-safari-pride-coffee/

What we do

Safari Pride Coffee's Mission

Our mission is to bring delightfully tasting African coffees to the world while connecting the hands that harvest the coffee with the community that consumes it. Our work involves travelling the continent of Africa and collaborating with reputable partners to source single origin coffees with exceptional quality and ethically sustainable farming practices.

High Quality Coffee

We provide coffees of the utmost quality, which are grown in nutrient rich volcanic regions at high altitudes and that maintain the integrity of the terroir. These coffees are handpicked, processed, and graded with only the highest graded beans selected for roasting which are then validated by high cupping rates.

Sustainably Sourced Coffee

We source our coffees from reputable cooperatives. We have chosen to work with cooperatives because coffee cultivation in Africa is primarily maintained by small farmers who do not produce enough volume to attract exporters and roasters. As a result, they are forced to sell their specialty grade coffees at very low prices. By sourcing our coffees from reputable cooperatives, we ensure that the farmer is paid an above market rate for their produce, and therefore justly compensated for their hard work. With this premium, they can thrive, and their farms are able to flourish by focusing solely on the recommended methods for coffee cultivation over the prerequisite harvest period without the need to search for alternative sources of income. This instills confidence and security, which further allows our farmers to grow, and increase quality in a consistent and sustainable manner. Our farmers are also able to confidently provide for their families, affording them with the same types of opportunities that were accorded to Samuel's family.

Some of the sustainable coffee farming practices used by our cooperatives include but are not limited to the following:

  • minimal use of herbicides and pesticides;
  • shade growing of coffee via the introduction of other crops into the farm lot which provide biodiversity and shade for the coffee allowing it to ripen more slowly, giving the bean a more complex taste than other coffees;
  • utilizing renewable energy resources;
  • use of pollution free machinery etc.

Connection

We view coffee as more than a drink, and instead see it as a lifestyle of shared experiences. As a result, we aim to bridge the gap between the coffee growing regions of Africa and global consumers so that even though you may be drinking a cup of coffee locally, you are taking a journey to the producing country, and/or region, where that cup came from. We also reinvest a percentage of each sale back to the respective communities where the coffees are produced and consumed, for various causes.

COMMUNITY IMPACT

We are excited to support our local Minneapolis based community and the various communities we interact with in the bean belt of Africa. Learn more about our current partners below and please also join our efforts in helping the respective communities we support.

Non-Profit Partners

Angel of Mercy: Angel of Mercy is a Minnesota headquartered Not For Profit that aids orphans, under privilege children, and people living with the HIV/AIDS virus in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, West Africa. Learn More

The Sanneh Foundation: The Sanneh foundation is Minnesota headquartered Not For Profit that supports youth development in the Twin Cities metro area by providing programs that strengthen physical health, social and emotional development, and unite communities by advancing diversity, equity and community wellbeing. Learn more

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