Q&A: Phyllis Johnson on building a more equitable coffee industry

Entrepreneur, author and activist Phyllis Johnson founded green coffee trader BD Imports in 1999 with the aim of empowering women in coffee-growing communities. In 2020, she founded the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity against the backdrop of significant racial injustice and unrest in the US. She speaks to World Coffee Portal about her remarkable journey in coffee and why diversity is the industry’s greatest untapped resource

Tell us about your vision for founding BD Imports in 1999

Our vision at BD Imports was to build a company that held to a social mission of ensuring relationships of fairness and opportunity. Our goal was to provide opportunities to those who were often overlooked or discounted. I saw myself in those individuals with whom we were engaged in our supply chain. When provided with an opportunity, those who are often overlooked rise to the occasion in more meaningful ways – offering great value. We were out to prove what we knew to be true from our own personal life experiences, and we were successful.