Longboard Specialty Coffee Founder Justin Boudeman. All images courtesy of Longboard Specialty Coffee.
Justin Boudeman, the U.S.-born founder of high-end Panamanian Gesha coffee production company Longboard Specialty Coffee, died Aug. 30 at the age of 52.
Known as a loving family man, dedicated naturalist and visionary producer, the Michigan native founded Longboard Specialty Coffee after settling in the Boquete region in 2000 following several years spent surfing along the coasts.
Boudeman’s legacy in coffee was recently celebrated and cemented with the inaugural “Into the Mist” private auction, which included 12 microlots from Longboard’s Misty Mountain farm.
Hosted on the M-Cultivo platform, the auction fetched an astounding average price of $4,668 per kilogram ($2,117 per pound), with one lot surpassing $10,000 per kilogram ($4,535 per pound).
“We are humbled with the results and grateful for the outpouring of support for our coffees,” Longboard Specialty Coffee operations director and Boudeman’s stepdaughter Noemi Montenegro said in an announcement shared by M-Cultivo. “Through this auction, our friends and partners around the world have not only honored Justin’s life’s work, but also celebrated the coffees that embody his vision: rare, expressive lots crafted with patience, artistry, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.”
Montenegro and other Boudeman family members and staff are maintaining the business, furthering Boudeman’s commitment to organic and biodynamic practices. “What began with Justin continues with his family, who have been part of Longboard from the start and will carry forward his vision,” the company said in a separate announcement.
Since Boudeman’s passing, numerous roasters from all over the world have paid public tribute to his work in coffee, which has included an intense pursuit of quality in the cup without the use of insecticides, herbicides or fungicides.
“Justin was truly one of a kind. Producer. Surfer. Innovator. Husband. Father. Wine lover. What Justin has built at Longboard is something that is singular, focused, and spectacular,” Australia- and U.S.-based roasting company Proud Mary Coffee wrote on Instagram. “We’ll miss you around the cupping table, Justin. Rest Easy.”
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