Eddie Kevlar believes a successful business is one that benefits everyone involved.
“We value people, and we value coffee. If we aren’t sustaining unity and harmony among farmers and coffee lovers, we are not fulfilling our vision.”
Mr. Eddie Kevlar has been faithful to this philosophy right from the beginning of 2nd Mile Specialty; however, the specialty coffee business isn’t how he started his career.
Life Before Specialty Coffee
Before he got passionately involved in the green coffee bean industry, Kevlar was the marketing manager in Hyundai heavy industries. He covered the region as a director to develop new markets in Asia and North America by participating in government-led projects.
With his aggressive work in marketing, the business was flourishing, but it came with a threat to the local industry because of their increasing local market share. The Brazilian government started setting up measures against anti-dumping, which led to the closure of his division in the country.
This time, Kevlar decided to explore the world of coffee.
Stepping into the Specialty Coffee Movement
Kevlar was thrilled to be a part of the first specialty coffee movement in Brazil. He had the opportunity to work with Ted Lingo, founder of CQI Coffee Institute, who introduced the high-quality grading standard for specialty coffee.
Lingo gave Kevlar the idea to initiate Q grading training. Back then, it was an ambitious thought, but Kevlar was motivated.
Commodity coffee trading was booming, but people weren’t aware of specialty coffee in Brazil. He enrolled in the Q Grading and sensory skill certification, which was the point he became serious about coffee!
Kevlar was the sole Q and R grader in Brazil who had an international background and spoke multiple languages. That gave him an edge and the motivation to take part in local and international-related events.
This started his journey into the world of coffee, from training in Ethiopia to managing a coffee roasting lab in Brazil. The more he learned, the more intriguing coffee became. He became a certified SCA instructor and training for Brewing, Barista, Roasting, Green Trading – you name it! He thoroughly studied every aspect of coffee making.
“Having theoretical knowledge about coffee and knowing coffee is very different.”
He progressed exploring and learning about coffee by talking to coffee lovers who relied on coffee equipment, this being one of the experiences which made him realize a large part of the community mistakes such knowledge as the core of coffee.
The Birth of 2nd Mile
Once he was well-equipped with the knowledge and practice, he connected with Catherine, founder of 2nd Mile Specialty. They shared a combined passion for coffee and the belief that “we can taste our feelings through coffee.”
Committed to spreading the love they share for coffee and positively enhancing the livelihood of coffee producers, they created the 2nd Mile Specialty.
The business got its name from the extra mile ethos inspiring Catherine and Kevlar to search for consistency and excellence in coffee quality. Kevlar believes in forming a long-term partnership with coffee producers they can trust.
The business revolves around the main principle:
“To value people… because you’re worth every mile!”
Hope and Vision for Specialty Coffee
Kevlar hopes to maintain the originality of coffee. He believes a steaming mug of coffee should take our minds to beautiful mists and mountains where we can envision the coffee trees blooming!
The credit for the exquisite taste of coffee solely goes to nature. Kevlar believes that our task is to use good farm management, processing, logistics, and storage to transfer coffee from nature to your cup without compromising its true essence.
“Coffee is above any human skills or technological and processing advancements, and nature should be respected.”
As the Sourcing, Quality Control, and Marketing Specialist at 2nd Mile Specialty, Kevlar wants to make high-quality coffee accessible to coffee lovers around the globe. His vision for 2nd Mile Specialty is to continuously innovate the storage system and establish new supply chains from different parts of the world closer to the coffee growers.
He wants to sustain excellence while educating people to become more conscious and sustainable in the coffee industry and help them appreciate quality coffee in all of its glory.