Every time you sip your morning coffee, what if that moment could do more than awaken you — it could heal a community? That’s precisely the power you wield when you choose a coffee for a cause at RichlandHub Coffee Roasters and support the mission of James Bonny Mbuya — a Tanzanian-born entrepreneur, immigrant, and US Navy veteran whose story is rooted in hope and action.
Meet Our Founder: US Navy Veteran, James Bonny Mbuya
Mbuya was born into the Chaga tribe in Tanzania, where coffee farming is a big source of revenue for many locals. Many small-scale coffee farmers, including Mbuya’s own grandparents, have been growing coffee since European colonization in the 1800s and 1900s. Mbuya has since come to the U.S., never losing sight of the reality he left behind: many women in Tanzania still face childbirth without proper medical care, and every year thousands of mothers lose their lives due to preventable complications.
Commerce + Compassion
Fueled by that urgency, James founded his coffee venture with a bold idea: what if every bag of coffee sold could help build health clinics in Tanzania? At the heart of his mission is commerce + compassion. He sources green coffee beans directly from Tanzanian farmers in underserved rural communities, giving them fair value and creating sustainable livelihoods. His Vancouver, Washington business boasts a café open 7 days a week 2420 Main Street Vancouver WA 98660 that also sources fair-trade cacao, cashews and honey from the lush hills and rich lands of the region. Then — and this is the critical part — as his sales come in, his profits are shipped home to build the clinics. His multi-phase plan is detailed on his website and is moving along wonderfully, read where the current status is with the build and other ways you can help
Why does this matter? In Tanzania, the maternal mortality rate remains far too high. As documented, roughly 11,000 women die annually from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. In the region where many remote clinics operate, dedicated programs have proven effective: one initiative saw a 43% decline in maternal deaths in health-facilities over a five-year span in Northwestern Tanzania.
When you purchase a bag of this coffee, your decision becomes tangible. You’re not just buying an exceptional artisan roast from a fair-trade African bean, you’re:
- Shopping locally, supporting Clark County
- Supporting a US veteran and immigrant
- Sustaining farms
- Elevating dignity and economic well-being of the Tanzanian community
- Increasing employment opportunities in surrounding African villages
- Helping make healthcare accessible, ultimately saving lives, in a village
Imagine a mother in a remote Tanzanian village being able to walk to a clinic instead of traveling miles on foot. Imagine children being treated early rather than waiting until illness becomes severe. That’s the ripple effect your coffee purchase helps create.
Coffee With a Cause
Let your purchase be more than a caffeine boost. Let it be a statement: you believe that birth should bring joy, not risk. You believe that access to health care isn’t a privilege—it’s a right. When you carry that bag home and brew your first cup, you’re doing more than gratifying your taste buds—you’re joining a movement. Welcome (Karibu).
Sources:
https://www.columbian.com/news/2022/apr/18/vancouver-coffee-shop-owner-serves-coffee-mankind/
https://www.bloomberg.org/public-health/increasing-access-to-reproductive-health-care/maternal-health-in-tanzania/
https://www.cdc.gov/global-reproductive-health/php/maternal-reproductive-health-tanzania
