Coffee lovers rejoice! Malawi-based Maravi coffee has launched a virtual shop for Canadians to buy the remarkable Southeastern African beans that are roasted right here in Ontario to guarantee a perfectly fresh cup of coffee.
Mahin Omar, the woman behind Maravi Coffee Canada, was born in Malawi but raised in Mississauga. When she visited in later years, she fell back in love with Malawi and has been a resident of both countries ever since. Her goal for Maravi in Canada is to highlight the uniqueness of Maravi's single-origin Malawian coffee; she sources the beans, exports the coffee from Malawi, imports it into Canada, and heads their marketing.
Maravi wants to showcase Malawian coffee, an underrated and underappreciated bean on the global coffee market, but one that is bursting with bold flavours. What makes Malawi unique is that the Geisha bean can be cultivated in the Northern regions of Malawi. Geisha is in the Arabica family and originated from the Gori Gesha forest in Ethiopia; it was made popular in Panama and is very exclusive because of how difficult it is to cultivate. Geisha beans grow wild and offer a less harvestable area per acreage, so farmers tend to switch over to heartier crops like banana and maize; Maravi wants to make sure that they are supported and receive a fair price for their coffee, which is why they are able to procure the low-supply Geisha beans. This is not the only coffee Maravi has available, but it is one of their most popular and unique offerings.
The term "ethical" is often loosely tossed around, but Maravi wants us to understand the source of their coffee and how we can support Malawi through Maravi; 50 cents from each bag goes to implementing sustainable infinitives with the smallholder coffee farmers, ensuring they can continue producing coffee beans at fair prices. The coffee is also roasted locally at a small-batch roaster in Windsor; they receive the beans from Malawi and hand-roast it per order (you can personalize your roast and ground when you order on the website).
In Malawi, Maravi has three operating bakeries and cafés, and in the future, their goal is to one day set up a Maravi Café right here in the GTA, most likely in Mississauga, which we all know is in desperate need of independently-owned coffee shops. Their cafes in Malawi are sunlit lounge spaces full of artisanal bread and treats, and they hope to bring that atmosphere here.
