Coffee is more than just a drink; it's a shared tradition, an art form, and a powerful connection to history. For Black communities, the story of coffee runs deep, tracing its roots to Ethiopia-the birthplace of coffee-and spanning centuries of cultural and entrepreneurial contributions. This article explores the history of Black-owned coffee businesses, their rise in the face of systemic barriers, and their significance in today’s $80 billion industry.
The African Origins of Coffee
Before we can celebrate and support Black-owned coffee businesses, we need to honor where coffee comes from-Africa. Coffee’s story begins in Ethiopia, where folklore credits a goat herder named Kaldi with discovering its energizing properties. Khalid (or Kaldi), an Ethiopian goat herder, noticed his herd of goats seemed to be more energetic and precocious when they ate berries from a tree in the area he shepherded.
He goes on to suggest the discovery of coffee dates back to 850 BC. Ethiopian suppliers with whom Jones works claim when man disobeyed God, man died, and God wept. From the place where man was buried grew the first coffee plant, an offering from God to reestablish peace between humans and God and humans and the land. We’ll never know exactly how a piping hot cup of black coffee got from goats to grieving gods, but we know we wouldn’t have arrived there without Ethiopian berries. Even today, the widest variety of coffee beans is found on the African continent.
Ethiopia continues to cherish its coffee heritage through traditional coffee ceremonies, which represent hospitality, bonding, and mutual respect. Jones says deeper research offers a more spiritual take. “People have done experiments where they put goats around coffee and the goats won't even touch the coffee cherries. … But from what we've learned with the indigenous communities, is that it's centered around peace and a spiritual belief. So the Oromo people-who are the ethnic group who we primarily source our coffee from, in Ethiopia-believe that coffee is a gift from God to establish peace.”
The Dark Side: Colonization and Exploitation
Yet, despite its roots, coffee’s global spread came at an immense cost. European colonization claimed Africa's coffee plants and took them to new territories, including South America and Southeast Asia, where coffee farming became synonymous with exploitation. African labor, often forced, powered the foundations of what is now a highly lucrative industry.
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By the 15th century, coffee was grown in Arabia and in Egypt and Persia by the 16th century. People drank it not only in homes but also in coffee houses or Schools of the Wise, where patrons slurped drink between conversation, board games and sharing news amid musical performances and entertainment. This is a formula that obviously persists to this day. Then and now, coffee houses serve as attractive centers for the exchange of information, hence the “Schools of the Wise” label. With the bean catching on at the height of global colonization it’s no surprise it got swept up in exploitation as another prize for the potentate. Simultaneously, Europeans invaded African countries, and demand for coffee increased.
As European powers expanded their empires in the 17th and 18th centuries, they established large plantations in their colonies to produce cash crops for export to Europe. Coffee was one of those vital crops, alongside sugar, cotton, and tobacco. Cultivating coffee (then and now) required a large amount of labor that slavery could deliver with exploited Africans. Colonizers established vast coffee plantations in Brazil, the Caribbean, and parts of Central America, where coffee production became integral to the new economy. Enslaved people on coffee plantations endured brutal conditions similar to the cotton fields where their separated family members and friends were sold. They were forced to clear land, plant, harvest, and process beans under the grueling, soggy heat of tropical grow zones, often working sunup to sundown.
Colonizers generated massive wealth from the unpaid labor. The earnings, like those of other plantation crops, helped finance European industrialization and the global economy while denying the enslaved Africans who produced the wealth any share in it. As demand increased, so did forced labor to produce more supply.
Black Entrepreneurs Rise in the Coffee Market
Fast forward to the 20th century, where Black entrepreneurs began carving out their space in a historically exclusive coffee market. One inspiring example is Alphonse Smith, a visionary entrepreneur from Harlem in the 1920s.
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Contemporary Black coffee entrepreneurs honor the legacy of trailblazers like Smith. Companies such as Red Bay Coffee, Portrait Coffee, and Boon Boona Coffee bring artistry, heritage, and ethical practices to the forefront. Edward McFields is the founder of NOIREPACK-America’s Hub for Black-Owned Coffees, showcasing premium roasts crafted by Black artisans and independent roasters worldwide. With a focus on adventure and equity, NOIREPACK elevates underrepresented talent in specialty coffee, from bean to brew.
Through initiatives such as NoirePack’s direct partnerships with Black coffee roasters, the movement to build equity in coffee ownership continues to grow. NOIREPACK's coffee blends are a perfect marriage of quality and mission, offering unique flavor profiles that elevate every cup. From the citrusy brightness of their light roasts to the rich, chocolatey notes of their dark blends, each product reflects a passion for perfection. Beyond taste, NOIREPACK is dedicated to empowering communities, channeling profits into initiatives like scholarships and partnerships that make a difference. Every sip celebrates bold flavors, sustainable sourcing, and the culture behind the craft.
Challenges and Cultural Erasure
Despite their remarkable contributions, Black entrepreneurs in the coffee space face significant challenges even today. Securing funding is one of the largest hurdles for Black-owned coffee businesses. The coffee industry is tightly controlled by large corporations, making it difficult for smaller Black-owned businesses to compete.
Perhaps one of the most glaring issues is the cultural erasure Black entrepreneurs experience. Coffee’s African roots are often ignored in favor of marketing that appeals to Western sensibilities. Representation isn’t just important-it’s essential. Black-owned coffee brands don’t just sell coffee-they celebrate stories steeped in culture and resilience.
Cxffee Black and Disrupting the Industry
Renata Henderson is co-owner of Cxffee Black and the Anti Gentrification Coffee Club in Memphis, Tenn. She and her husband, co-owner Batholomew Jones, are working to disrupt the coffee industry like few people of color have. Two posters hang on my kitchen wall. One reads “LOVE BLACK PEOPLE LIKE YOU LOVE BLACK CXFFEE”; the other, “BREW. PLOT. PLAN. STRATEGIZE. ORGANIZE. MOBILIZE. REPEAT.”
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A dear friend saw the posters when she visited the Anti Gentrification Cxffee Club and knew I had to have them. The posters begged me to seek out the shop itself, so I did. I didn’t know what I expected when I pulled up, but it wasn’t just a house nestled between Memphis’ Berclair and Midtown neighborhoods. “Welcome home,” I heard someone say, as I entered the door of what had likely once been a residence before it was converted to a business.
Visitors of varying ethnicities waiting patiently while some rapper I didn’t recognize rapped his heart out through the speakers. Posters and framed pictures cover the walls. Some walls showcase merch. Large burlap bags of fragrant coffee were stacked roughly four feet high near in the back left right-hand corner. To the left of that was an alcove, the baristas domain. Everyone in the space seemed warm, happy. It was comforting. And a little weird in the best ways possible.
After the barista made my drink (“the D’Angelo”, a brown sugar latte), he surprised me with the announcement that the first cup of coffee for guests was free. As he handed me the cup, he offered an Ethiopian blessing that translates to, “May your house lack neither coffee nor peace.” Yeah, this place is different.
Anti Gentrification Cxffee Club is owned by Bartholomew “Bart” Jones and his business partner and wife Renata Henderson. The shop exclusively serves beans they roast from their own “Cxffee Black” supply line.
Coffee roasters-no matter how large or small-typically use intermediaries who coordinate with wholesalers and retailers and broker a deal that earns a good profit for the client and, of course, himself. Not so at Cxffee Black, which has involved itself in the import business to get what it needs. “We’re buying directly from people [in African countries]. We say, ‘what’s your cost?’ And that’s unheard of because people are like, ‘You don’t get to do that,’” Henderson says.
Removing the middleman is not normal coffee business practice. Henderson and Jones see as an upset to the status quo. Ninety percent of the vendors for Cxffee Black’s distribution operation and its storefront, Anti Gentrification Cxffee Club, are Black. The company roasts its own coffee, trains Black baristas and roasters and they partner directly with indigenous growers and harvesters in Ethiopia and Rwanda.
Jones says for his business, that means inserting himself in the supply chain by including others. “You have to include Black people at every point of the supply chain,” he says. “And we have to be creative about reimagining what this industry could look like where it includes us, instead of excluding us.”
Coffee Consumption and Black Community
The NCA says there has been an increase of Black coffee drinkers in the last decade thanks in part to Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s Starbucks partnership back in 2010, which opened 125 stores in 12 years. But we still just don’t drink a lot, compared to others. Some of that may be because coffee shops are very … white.
The atmosphere of a typical coffee shop can be countercultural to the ways Black people are accustomed to gathering. This isn’t an accident. There is a formula, if you’ve noticed: Coffee shop walls are typically white and bare. Beyond a lo-fi soundtrack humming ambient sounds in the background, the air inside is quiet. Whispers and patrons’ fingertips tapping on keyboards accompany the reverberating stillness, occasionally punctuated by a barista’s piercing call of “caramel macchiato with a double shot!” This atmosphere isn’t coincidental.
The Anti Gentrification Cxffee Club does things differently, hence the name. Henderson and Jones didn’t initially intend to open a brick-and-mortar business, but what they’d seen in other coffee shops demanded a new take. They were determined what they had seen did not have to be what they’d create.
How You Can Support Black-Owned Coffee Businesses
Feel inspired to take action?
- Start stocking your pantry with products from amazing Black-owned coffee companies.
- Search for nearby Black-owned coffee shops using online directories or interactive maps.
- A simple Instagram tag or tweet can go a long way.
- Dive into the history of Black-owned coffee businesses, and don’t keep this knowledge to yourself-share it!
- Organizations that spearhead change in the coffee industry need your help to keep pushing forward.
The Future is Brewing
Black-owned coffee businesses today are preserving a legacy while charting an exciting new course. Make your next cup count.
When it comes to coffee, quality matters. NoirePack offers premium espresso blends sourced from the world’s finest coffee farms, ensuring every bean delivers top-notch aroma and flavor. Coffee enthusiasts, whether you lean team latte or team cappuccino, the next step is clear.
Black people across the diaspora represent a mere 1% of the global share. You can continue doing things the way they’ve always been, or you can try something new.
| Demographic | Coffee Consumption |
|---|---|
| Latino | 65% |
| White | 64% |
| Asian Americans | 60% |
| African-American | 54% |
