Join U3 co-founder Kristi Ross and her co-host Greg Hess in an inspiring conversation with Jake Elster and Ben Heins, co-owners of Crop to Cup Coffee Importers, a green-coffee importing company that’s committed to a people-first approach to coffee.

Hear all about how their paths collided in a serendipitous meeting at the University of Chicago. Ben, a trailblazer in the ready-to-drink coffee game, was on a quest to learn more about “how coffee happens.” Meanwhile, Jake’s connections to Uganda’s coffee communities inspired him to design a radical new model for coffee imports—one that put farmers front and center—at Crop to Cup Coffee Importers. Their synergy and shared passion for coffee fueled Crop to Cup’s mission: to empower smallholder farmers and revolutionize the specialty coffee industry.

Today Crop to Cup represents coffee producers from more than 110 coffee-growing communities in a dozen countries. Their team serves as invested ambassadors, connecting underrepresented coffee-producing communities with roasters who are excited about their offerings. Their mission grows from a shared core belief: “Good coffee comes from good people.”

And tune in to learn more about U3 Coffee’s newest initiative—the U3 Coffee Bank—and how it’s supporting coffee producers, coffee roasters, and coffee entrepreneurs to make a positive impact on the coffee industry!

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