Applications Open for Year Two of NKG PACE Green Coffee Program

The application period is open for the second year of the NKG Partnership to Advance Coffee Equity (NKG PACE), a professional development program designed by the United States branch of the green coffee conglomerate Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG) and the Coffee Coalition for Racial Equity (CCRE).

Launched last year to address the history of racial inequity and under-representation of Black people within the United States coffee industry, the program offers a full year of employment and training for three people to become certified green coffee specialists.

Specifically, program participants become full-time employees of Neumann Gruppe USA for one year while participating in an education program that is one part apprenticeship in quality control (QC) and one part comprehensive green coffee education through individual and group learning, a speaker series and a mentorship program with a CCRE representative.

No previous professional coffee experience is required for the program, although the group says some experience is preferred.

Participants are paid an entry-level wage and will be assigned to one of three NKG USA or subsidiary-run offices, either the Hoboken, New Jersey, headquarters, the San Diego offices of importer InterAmerican Coffee or the Seattle offices of specialty coffee trader Atlas Coffee Importers.

“Heading into our second year, we’re adjusting the curriculum to offer partners a better-rounded education, with more experience in logistics and customer service,” the company states on this year’s application page. “This is to offer them more meaningful exposure to other aspects of coffee, in hopes of increasing their education, broadening their potential interests and expanding their possible career trajectories. The long-term career path for a person in Logistics, for example, could be COO. Whether Partners remain in QC or follow other opportunities in coffee, an educational foundation in quality control is an absolute advantage.”

Applications are due Thursday, Dec. 1. Instructions on how to apply, FAQs and much more information is available here.

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