Reggae icon’s son grabs coffee niche

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This article was published 14/03/2016 (3574 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you think Rohan Marley is intimidated by taking on Starbucks and other giants in the coffee business, you’ve got another thing percolating.

The middle child of late reggae legend Bob Marley’s 11 children is the driving force behind Marley Coffee, a company that has its origins on a small farm in Jamaica. He purchased a small roaster in Vancouver in 2010, and soon he was off doing coffee tastings in retailers such as London Drugs.

Today, he’s carving out a niche with the second-most sought-after commodity in the world. (Coffee trails only oil, demand-wise.)

‘It’s about the quality of the bean’– Rohan Marley

“Winnipeg is part of our growth (plan). Canada is where I started the company,” he said.

Marley describes his coffee as “small-batch, artisanal roasts” for premium coffee drinkers.

“It’s about the quality of the bean,” he said.

The 43-year-old is also a former member of the University of Miami Hurricanes football team from 1992 to 1994, where two of his teammates were future Super Bowl winner Ray Lewis and wrestler/actor Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

“I’m used to competition. We were the No. 1 team in the country,” said the 5-8 former linebacker. “I had to compete with guys on my own team. I’m used to going out amongst giants and being the smallest linebacker.”

Marley Coffee is a recent arrival on the shelves of Safeway stores across Manitoba and will likely be listed at Sobeys locations in the near future as the two grocery giants continue to merge their operations.

Keri Scobie, manager of communications for Western Canada at Sobeys Inc., said Safeway currently stocks the individual servings, but that could be expanded if consumers demand it.

“Marley Coffee is a unique product offering. The Marley name is definitely very recognizable and is one of the factors we looked at when listing the product,” she said.

Marley sources some of the beans from his Jamaican farm, but most of them come from Ethiopia. He is adamant about following and supporting fair-trade business practices.

“The first thing I told the farmers was, ‘I’m going to double your wages.’ It’s about bettering the farmers’ lives,” he said.

“I want to be the one to make a change, like when my father started his music. It’s about the message. Coffee is a vehicle to create change.”

So, did his father drink a lot of java? Marley is quick to point out one of his first recordings was a song called One Cup of Coffee.

Marley also played the 1995 season with the now-defunct Ottawa Rough Riders.

He didn’t make the trip to Winnipeg that summer because he was on the injured list at the time.

“I’m sure the Bombers probably beat us. We weren’t so good,” he said.

Marley Coffee is now a sponsor of the Ottawa Redblacks.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca