Since the beginning of time, the Brotherhood has built up a strong relationship with the local people of Tanna Island, Vanuatu, in the South Pacaific. It began during the set up of the café where the owner of the building had strong relationships with the people of Vanuatu and introduced Tony and Mark to the Tanna people and the Tanna Island. Safe to say, the rest is history: Tony visited the island, coffee imports began and the product of our very famous ‘Vanuatu Gold’ coffee began!

It was the people themselves, their passion for hard work and strong sense of community that inspired the Brothers to join forces with the people of Tanna Island – not to mention the incredible organic specialty coffee they were producing.

Unfortunately, devastation hit with the weather disaster in 2015 when Cyclone Pam ripped through the South Pacific. Tanna Island saw immense damage to homes and the landscape, including the coffee farms. Prior to the natural disaster, Tanna Island was producing around 114 tonnes of coffee beans, but the cyclone dropped that number down to just 5.7 tonnes in last years’ harvest. It will take 2-3 years before the island can reproduce this number again.

Since coffee harvesting was the islands primary source of income, the people found themselves in much needed assistance. Coffee Brothers, alongside several other companies and communities, bound together to raise funds for shipping containers of medical supplies, food, clothing, building supplies and more, which was distributed over 28 different villages across the island.

The spirit of coffee across the island has been an inspiration to the Brotherhood, and they will continue to support the local people and the coffee industry through this island. The people of Tanna Island will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Coffee Brothers team and their customers.