Trumpet Tree Coffee Factory CEO Arthur McGowan is not just brewing coffee. He’s sowing seeds of change and he believes that providing Jamaica’s coffee farmers with easier road access will help to boost the sector.

McGowan started his company in 2014 and officially established it in 2018 after obtaining a trade licence from the Jamaica Coffee Board, now known as Jamaica Coffee Exporters Association.

Trumpet Tree has a farm-to-cup approach, growing and processing 100 per cent Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, regarded as the world’s best, across 85 acres of land.

In 2021, the company introduced an innovative approach to making Blue Mountain coffee more accessible, packaging it as tea bags.

“Jamaica’s Blue Mountain coffee is very expensive to produce, to process. Everything about the coffee is expensive. I came up with a way in which everybody can afford to drink one of the best coffees in the world. It’s a strategy that if you can’t buy the whole bread, you can buy a slice but you still can enjoy your slice every time when you want it and it’s available to you,” said McGowan.

“As a business owner and as a producer, it humbles me to have the opportunity to put a smile on people’s face, so it’s a good feeling, it’s a proud feeling and we want to continue,” McGowan added.

Reflecting on his journey, McGowan said his motivation to start his own venture came from making the best out of a bad situation.

“I was a farmer from 1999. We farmed the berry and sold it to different companies, just like we’re doing here. But there was a point where the price that some other companies were offering was not sustainable, [and was] not good for business. So it was a turning point, or crossroad where I had to choose if I’m going to go forward or if I’m going to throw in the towel.

“Going forward meant it was either you do it yourself by growing the bean, processing it yourself and try to get a better price, or just throw in the towel. So I chose to go forward, reaping my beans, processing them, trying to get markets whether locally or overseas,” said McGowan as he recounted the many challenges he faced, even as he remains grateful for the journey which led him to a point of success.

The company is committed to supporting more than 5,000 coffee farmers across the Blue Mountains, purchasing beans at sustainable prices and processing them into finished goods.

Despite these strides, McGowan did not shy away from sharing with the Jamaica Observer the challenges in the industry, particularly the state of farm roads affecting accessibility to coffee-producing areas.

“One of the main challenges we have now is the accessibility to land in terms of farm roads; most farm roads are terrible,” said McGowan as he called for an easier process for land acquisition.

“In terms of acquiring land, you know you have to have legal documents. We have to be able to feed ourselves as a country. The first step to farming is land accessibility; you have to be able to access land. Maybe by rent [or] by lease because you cannot just go on a piece of land and farm it like that.

“So the legal issue, the red tape behind all of that, is really not what we want. But as it relates to the issue of farming and acquiring land, the whole thing has to be easier as it relates to paperwork,” said McGowan.

His motto, he said, is “To serve and achieve”, which basically speaks to the fact that the success of a business hinges on the quality of service you provide to your customers.

According to McGowan, despite the challenges, coffee farmers can earn a reasonable living with the price at $8,000 per box last year.

This was slightly lower than the previous year and McGowan said this was due to quality issues resulting from the drought that affected the island.

“Last year I think the price was $10,000 to $11,000. As it relates to fertiliser, farming, profit and business the prices for me are reasonable,” said McGowan.