Ugandan Pride: Matt Earley Interview

Late last year Uganda passed what has been called the "Anti-Homosexual Act." Originally this legislation called for LGBT people to receive the death sentence for being who they are. Family and friends were also at risk for jail time just for supporting or knowing their loved ones who are gay. A worldwide outcry against these human rights violations got the bill "watered down" to where there is jail time, but no death penalty.

As an openly gay man I am outraged that this is allowed to go on. I know Russia got a lot of boycott press around the Olympics for their horrendous laws, but little has been put out there about the plight of Ugandan gays and lesbians. Over a month ago I called for a boycott on Ugandan coffee, to make a point that this law needs to be repealed.

Just Coffee Cooperative, out of Madison, WI did me one better, they have created and are now selling Ugandan Pride coffee. Proceeds from sales of this coffee will go towards the fight against these laws. Just Coffee is known for two things: good coffee and supporting causes. Whether they are supporting farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, or women and children economically affected by the coffee rust epidemic, Co-Founder Matt Earley and his crew are there. I had the opportunity to interview Just Coffee's Matt Earley this week.

Charlie: You have just announced "Ugandan Pride" coffee which raises awareness about and contributes towards the fight against brutal anti-gay laws in Uganda, specifically the so-called “Anti-Homoseuality Bill”, which can mean long prison sentences for LGBT people, their families and friends. How did the idea for this develop?

Matt: A few months ago we received a call from a cafe customer that one of their regulars had told them that it was not right for them to serve Ugandan coffee because of the passage of the "Anti-Homosexuality Act" in Uganda. As the roaster of the coffee, this hit us particularly hard ​because we have a history of being very outspoken and active around Human Rights issues. Our IT guy had recently seen a documentary about the lead up to the passage of the bill and the activists working to overturn it. We decided that we should contribute to their efforts and that we could use this Ugandan coffee as a vehicle to start the discussion here in the US as well as to raise funds for those fighting the law.

Charlie: 10% of sales of Ugandan Pride goes to the Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law(CSCHRCL). What made you decide to work with them and what are they doing to fight these laws?

Matt: The CSCHRCL is a group that works on the legal/legislative level to overturn the law as well as supporting outreach work "on the ground" in communities. We liked the fact that they are working to build a more tolerant society on different levels and that they are very established during a time of serious instability within the LGBT community. ​

Charlie:  While supporting the LGBT community is becoming more commonplace, have you encountered any pushback for supporting taking this stand?

Matt: Not a lot of push back so far. We have lost a couple of customers, but we understood that that might happen. We are an activist company and we believe that instead of standing outside of politics or hiding what we believe, it is important to take positions and support our beliefs with our business. Part of our mission stresses transparency in business practices and to trying to help build a more democratic business model. In order to do that we have to be vocal about our beliefs and use our business to support the issues that are important to us.

Charlie: As a gay man, I am with you on this fight for equality and human rights, but as a coffee lover I want to know about the coffee. Tell us about the roasting profile of Ugandan Pride Coffee.

​Matt: Yes! It is a medium-roasted coffee with a mild acidity and a medium body. The coffee has notes of caramel and cherry rounded out with a subtle lemony finish. It is best in French Press and nice as an espresso.

Charlie: Best in French Press? Perfect, that is our favorite brewing method. On his reality show “Dangerous Grounds”, La Colombe’s Todd Charmichel devoted an episode to Ugandan coffee, talking about how difficult it is to find good coffee there. Talk a bit about the farmers you work with and was it difficult to find good coffee there?

Matt: We have worked with a cooperative in Uganda for quite some time and we have been very happy with their overall coffee quality. This coffee is a different one than we have been selling and we feel pretty fortunate to have it-- we think it is very tasty. The entire region-- DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda-- are making huge strides in their production and processing practices and their coffees are starting to score really well in general. Rwanda in particular has really elevated its game and the rest of the region-- especially in the farming cooperatives-- are taking note and learning how to improve their practices. It takes time, but it is happening.

Just Coffee is well known for their transparency. You can trace every bag of coffee back to its origin, the process it went through and the prices paid to the farmers. Because of the sensitive nature of this issue in Uganda, the farmers who are providing this coffee won't be identified, as supporters of the anti-gay laws could retaliate against them. 

Thanks to Earley and the rest of the cooperative standing with the LGBT community. I also appreciate his time for this interview. 

www.justcoffee.coop

Next: Ugandan Pride Review

Charlie