Web feature: This Marley sings with his coffee

There are plenty of concepts strongly associated with the Marley name: reggae, freedom, wafts of a certain smoked substance. One of Bob Marley’s sons is now looking to add specialty coffee to that list. Rohan Marley, who’s known for his days as a University of Miami linebacker and his relationship with female rapper Lauryn Hill, started Marley Coffee in 2007. Though name recognition could probably move more than enough product to make the venture profitable, the 37-year-old says the company was formed to give coffee farmers in Jamaica and elsewhere a meaningful, sustainable source of income.

The company has a 52-acre coffee plantation in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains but is still waiting for a license from the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica to sell those beans in other countries. In the meantime, Marley has been contracting with farmers in Ethiopia and Central and South America, and the company currently offers organic roasts at roughly 125 high-end grocery stores and markets in the United States and Canada.

Fresh Cup caught up with Marley at the SCAA Exposition in Anaheim, Calif., last month, where the Marley Coffee booth—and its Rasta vibe—drew plenty of attention.

Q: What drew you to the coffee world?
A: Ten years ago, a friend stumbled on 50 acres of Blue Mountain coffee land in Jamaica. My friend said, “You have to have it.” So I said, “OK, I’ll go have a look.” I saw the beautiful river and the land, and I said, “I can’t refuse this. How do you refuse a property with such a wonderful river?” After we acquired the land, I asked what was on the property, and they said, “Coffee.” That’s how I got into coffee. 

Q: Did you wait long to establish the business itself?
A: It wasn’t until seven years later that I met up with some associates and we decided to create Marley Coffee. It’s a strictly sustainable and organic company. We’re in Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca. We’re growing.

Q: What’s your take on the specialty coffee industry?
A: This is my first coffee show, and I love the coffee community. I like working with the farmers. They’re earthly. When you go back to the farmland, you keep perspective. No one can be too big.

Q: So you’ve made trips to origin?
A: Oh yeah. I’ve gone to farms in Ethiopia. I hope to go to Colombia and visit farms there as well. And of course, I’ve been to farms in Jamaica. My own farmers and others I’ve met have inspired me to really elevate Blue Mountain coffee to a level where we’re growing some of the best coffees in the world and doing it in the right way.

Q: What do you hope to achieve through the business?
A: The goal is to take this coffee and to keep it going until the people that started this, the farmers, can reap the benefits. When you go to the coffee-growing communities, you should see them in big houses and their children should be in school. You should see that. And I think [Marley Coffee] is the start of that.

Q: One more question I have to ask: Are you a musician as well?
A: I play a little drums and a little guitar, but I’m no singer. This coffee is my music. Let me introduce you to my album.

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