Montay Coffee was started in 2021 when the Walton MBA program at the University of Arkansas challenged its students to 1. Think of something good to do and 2. Do it. Our group set a goal to find a way to make the largest impact and start a continuous cycle of good. One of our team members had spent a great deal of time in Haiti and knew the coffee from this little Caribbean island was some of the best in the world. However, natural disasters and poor economic conditions disrupted the Haitian coffee industry. The economy has historically been damaged by excessive donations and gifts which overwhelm the country's shallow market pool and collapse the affected industries. In other words, local companies cannot compete with "free," so they are forced to close their operations, leaving many people jobless. This cycle has continued until many Haitians live off less than $3 a day.  

We asked ourselves, if there was a way to invest in Haitian coffee and connect it with local coffee drinkers, could we make a global impact? If we paid a fair wage to the coffee farmers, could we create jobs, stimulate a once vibrant part of their economy, and provide economic and educational opportunities for the farmers and their families?  

We started searching for connections on the island and found a group of family-owned farms who were reinvesting in the community. We ordered some green coffee beans, roasted those beans in Northwest Arkansas, and sold them in a local coffee shop. And just like that, Montay Coffee was born. Our name Montay, from the Haitian Creole word for “mountain,” was chosen to honor the mountainous regions where coffee is grown in Haiti and around the globe.  

In 2022, we brought Montay Coffee to various retail locations throughout Northwest Arkansas and launched this direct-to-consumer website, but we’re not stopping there. Through other channels and expanded coffee origins, we have high hopes you will join us in helping our coffee have a global impact.  

When you purchase Montay coffee, you’re saying yes to an amazing cup of coffee. You’re also saying yes to a women-owned coffee company working to create virtuous cycles by connecting you to some of the best but most overlooked coffee markets in the world. Sound like a cup of coffee you can get behind? Grab a bag. Brew a cup. Start your own virtuous cycle by drinking  

           Good. Intentional. Coffee.