Novus Coffee Imports is Now Called Mercon Specialty

Seattle-based green coffee trader Novus Coffee Imports is now called Mercon Specialty, highlighting its place within the global coffee trading company Mercon Coffee Group.

Mercon Specialty launched last year under the Novus name with a focus squarely on the specialty coffee market in the United States. The division is part of a broad network of Mercon Group entities, including a global headquarters in The Netherlands, importing divisions in the United States and Europe, plus offices for various financing and farmer assistance services in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Vietnam.

Mercon officially launched as an exporter in Nicaragua in 1952. Its U.S. import business launched in 1992.

“As our business has grown in the last two years, we felt it was important to let our customers know of the many unique benefits associated with being part of the Mercon Group,” Craig Russell, Mercon Specialty managing director and former head of global coffee for Starbucks, said in an announcement of the name change. “We’re much more than just a specialty green coffee importer. Our team has over 65 years of specialty coffee experience so we can offer our customers much more, including operations in origin countries, consulting, world-class customer service, plus blending and roasting services.”

In a published FAQ, Mercon Specialty said the name change will not result in changes to the types of coffee offerings, services or customer relations.

Describing the specialty coffee segment as “one of the fastest growing parts of the coffee business,” Mercon Coffee CEO Oscar Sevilla said, “Mercon Specialty gives us the ability to offer premium coffees and support to independent roasters in a sustainable way with a direct connection to the producers and their communities.”