General FAQ
Who is George Howell? George Howell is popularly referred to as the grandfather of the specialty coffee movement. His dedication to coffee is unparalleled, with a career spanning almost fifty years. In 1974, he founded The Coffee Connection which grew to 24 locations in the Northeast before it was sold to Starbucks in 1994. In 1999, he co-founded The Cup of Excellence, a global coffee competition with the mission of bringing acclaim to passionate farmers doing outstanding work in coffee producing countries. Wanting to be back in his roots in coffee, George opened George Howell Coffee in 2004. Starting as...
Singing Burundi’s Coffee Song: George Howell & the Long Miles Coffee Project
George Howell is known as a passionate purveyor of the world’s best coffees and the co-creator of the Cup of Excellence in 1999. But lately, he’s also been curating a series of East Coast events that feature his zeal for education. So far, his special guests have included Raul Perez, Mokhtar Alkhanshali, and Dr. Christopher Hendon. Most recently, George invited Ben Carlson to stop in Boston before the annual Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle. During his introduction to 60 guests at the Boston Public Market in April 2017, George smiled with pleasure as he recounted the flavor notes from...
A Journey to Burundi’s Coffee Harvest: An Interview with Jenny Howell
In May 2016, Jenny Howell, Director of Coffee Sourcing, travelled to Burundi with a group of U.S. based coffee professionals. Led by Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian, owner of JNP Imports, the group visited several washing stations outside the capital, Bujumbura, and around the country in regions including Kayanza; Knyamugari; Mahoda; and Butemba. In recent years, several cooperatives have competed and placed in the Top 10 in the Cup of Excellence, an initiative co-created by George Howell in 1999.This interview took place in June 2017 at the George Howell Coffee café in Newtonville, Massachusetts. Erika Koss: Jenny, it’s such a pleasure to see...