A couple of years ago I traveled to my mothers native country, Colombia. It was my first visit to the country and it was my grandmother’s return visit to her land in over 15 years. My entire visit was full of excitement, wonder and discovery. The glaring juxtaposition of Miami’s hustling, flat tropical environment to Colombia’s untouched stretches of green farm land and jagged mountains was truly astonishing.
While exploring a tiny neighborhood food store next to the city’s largest building, it’s church, I found a small cardboard box jammed in the corner of a bottom shelf. The box had no windows to peek through but it contained a bold banner titled; “Café en Cubos- Cafe instantáneo endulcado con Panela.” In spite of my limited skills in spanish I understood one word “cafe”.
My infatuation with coffee started at the age of four, where a montesory school teacher would sneak a tiny cup of cuban coffee through the gate. She was on her lunch break, sitting on the sidewalk next to school with a cup of cuban coffee and a media noche sandwich she got from the cafeteria across the street. I was supposed to be playing outside for recess, which I did but only until she sat next to fence.
I rushed to my uncles house to try the coffee out but it wasn’t until I got there that I even bothered to get a clear translation of the banner on the box!
“Coffee in Cubes- Instant Colombian Coffee sweetened with Panela brown sugar”
It was the simple full bodied taste that captivated me. I asked my grandmother how they were prepared, thinking that there had to be a contraption to finish creating such a delicious cup of coffee. In less than a minute we made another cup; “just drop two into a cup and pour hot water over it!” This was amazing coffee that went back to the roots of food! It is simple, raw and is possible because a beautiful generational tradition in cultivation.
The ability to market a healthier, easier alternative to enjoying a drink I love so much drove me towards conceiving Jiva. I quickly researched possible food providers and researched their backgrounds in quality and standards; both in their use of raw, unrefined cane sugar (Panela) and their consistent use of the highest grade free trade coffee beans thus creating a production relationship I truely am proud of.
Today, after years of product development and certification procedures; Jiva is finally ready to be delivered to your home.
Jiva promises to give you the easiest, most delicious Colombian cup of coffee. All of our cubes are 100% Colombian Arabica beans and are NEVER mixed with lower quality beans from different countries. Our ONLY sweetner is Panela because of how wholesome it is and its impressive mineral stats.
As our customer you will always benefit from our very close relationship with our manufacturers, farmers and the plants that grow our ingredients. It isn’t everyday, in our modern society, that one can track the creation of one of their most beloved and addictive beverages, from seed to the cup right in front of us, all throughout knowing confidently that it is prepared with care and health in mind.
I greatly appreciate your time and interest in our product and hope to make it to your kitchen, office and your hearts soon. Thanks for the support!
Natalia Rodriguez & Allen Gomberg
-The Jiva Team