Marley Coffee will launch "Smile Jamaica," a blend of 20 percent Jamaican Blue Mountain (JBM) coffee and 80 percent Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee, the first authorized JBM blend in North America. The blend will be available in Marley Coffee RealCups™ form and 8 ounce Marley Coffee bags.
Certification to create and sell the "Smile Jamaica" blend was provided by the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica as a result of the company's successful U.S. launch of Marley Coffee's JBM, one of the largest-ever launches of pure, certified JBM in North America. Marley Coffee distributed approximately 30.5 tons or about 61,000 pounds of JBM coffee within the last year, with sales anchored by distribution into key retailers like Safeway.
"Marley Coffee has fulfilled one of the largest retail JBM coffee orders in North America," says Jason Sharp, owner of Coffee Traders Ltd., one of the most notable exporters of JBM coffee in the world, in a prepared statement. "This is a very exciting time for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee as one of our country's key exports will be available in so many North American homes. We expect Marley Coffee to continue building and growing their business for years to come."
Christopher Gentles, outgoing director general of the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica, said, "Marley Coffee's significant accomplishment in placing its coffees onto North American supermarket shelves, I believe, justifies the Board's decision to grant this certification to the company. Marley Coffee is well qualified to create the first Jamaican Blue Mountain blend for consumers."
Rohan Marley, founder and chairman of Marley Coffee, said, "My father's music and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee are two of the many things Jamaica is famous for. Both have transformed the world in their own way. We are happy to offer our blend to North America as a mainstream affordable luxury. This will allow U.S. consumers to enjoy its unique taste, and what was once among the most sought-after and rarest coffees in the world will now be available to American coffee lovers. We anticipate that this will be another catalyst to increasing Marley Coffee sales."
