The Times They Are a-Changin’
Recently, the open top trucks have started passing by. Emblazoned with gaudy pictures and slogans and a speaker system turned up way beyond sensible limits, local politicians vie for a place in whatever system is to come next. The post-2025 Gen Z revolution elections are coming.
Change is happening at Black Kite Coffee too.
With support from Passion Ventures, we have ordered two coffee processing machines. Due to arrive in April, the machines will take off the outer thin shell of part-processed coffee beans, otherwise known as ‘parchment’ coffee. The implications for Black Kite? Well, the price of parchment beans is usually around half the price of green beans and so by processing our own, we stand to become truly financially sustainable in 2026.
The trick, of course, is finding a reliable supply of parchment coffee. We recently bought about three hundred kilograms which, once dehulled and ‘graded,’ should yield enough for three months of sales.
What kept me (Chris Redstall) up at night, was the thought that the fully opaque parchment that we were buying was full of mouldy, deformed coffee beans inside.
Call me an optimist.
It was with enormous relief then, that, earlier in February, we did a trial processing of our coffee with a local company. The relief was palpable as great quality green beans emerged unscathed from the whole process with only 20% losses, rather than the anticipated 30%.
Meanwhile…
Salomi is doing a great job as our afternoon barista, covering for Varsha while she helps her family care for her younger brother going through cancer-related palliative care. Jug (Varsha’s husband), continues to develop his skill as our main coffee roaster, whilst Varsha develops her baking skills in the cafe kitchen making new menu items for 2026. In Okhaldhunga, Varsha’s sister and brother-in-law use a new hand-powered coffee cherry pulping machine to begin the process of turning their home-grown coffee into dried parchment; the beginnings of a ‘bean to cup’ family business.
Despite the overwhelming sadness of Varsha’s family situation, the first two months of 2026 have been good, business-wise; there is real hope that, in the long-term, Black Kite Coffee will become a successful family business that declares the kingdom of God and positively impacts the lives of many people.
