Larchmont Chronicle Story Archive

Larchmont Chronicle Neighborhood newspaper representing Hancock Park, Larchmont Village
Miracle Mile, Park La Brea Fremont Place in the Wilshire center area of Los Angeles. Local News and
stories about the local Los Angeles Scene. Historical informattion regarding the Larchmont Chronicle and
Hancock Park area. Founded in 1963 on Larchmont Bouelvard, Los Angeles, CA, California

October 30, 2009

STAND UP, STIR IT UP FOR 'ONE LOVE' COFFEE

Suzan Filipek

JAMAICA to Larchmont, Shane Whittle and Rohan Marley.

Rohan Marley was so entranced by a shimmering river in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica he bought the land it runs on. “I’ve never seen a river so beautiful,” he said.

After finding an abundance of neglected coffee plants on the 52-acre parcel, the son of Bob Marley asked the locals: “How do we grow the coffee?” When they said with chemicals, he shook his dreadlocked head. "I am a Rastaman, I wouldn’t feel right. Chemicals… ruin the root system.”

Based in a Larchmont loft, the company has five varieties of coffee, named after Bob Marley songs: “One Love,” “Jammin Java” and the five-bean espresso “Lively up!,” and can be purchased on Larchmont.

“I love Larchmont and the warm reception we’ve received,” Marley smiled, amid his small staff in a bustling office with a view overlooking the city.

During the past 10 years since he inadvertently bought the coffee farm, the former clothing manufacturer has immersed himself in pesticide-free, organic farming methods. And, while the Jamaican locals called him crazy, others suggested he use his name to sell the brew for a quick profit, said his co-partner Shane Whittle.
Then there was a hurricane three years ago which wiped out 75 percent of the crop.

The coffee plants have since returned, and the winds have changed in the organic farmer’s favor. “Now the Jamaican Coffee Industry Board is pushing organic; when I did it, I was called a fool,” says Rohan, still buff from his days as a linebacker with the University of Miami and as a pro in Canada.

But mass production and corporate profits are not what Marley’s Coffee is about. It’s about changing the world. The way Rohan explains it, his organic farm supports eight farmers and their families. “We want to be a model for sustainable farming… The goal is to create an opportunity for the next man.”

A portion of each bag of Marley Coffee funds his foundation to build schools and soccer camps for children of families who tend the coffee fields. He has also formed partnerships with farmers in Ethiopia, “the birthplace of coffee,” Papau, New Guinea, Guatemala and other java-rich areas to blend their crop with the Jamaican beans.

He and Whittle, a Canadian whom he met while both were walking their dogs on Fairfax Ave., hope to eventually open a hub in L.A., where Rohan and some of his 10 siblings can play music and share stories of their father.

Rohan remembers his Jamaiican grandmother tending a small coffee crop. His famous father died when Rohan was 12. “My dad’s dream was to return to the farm,” he says.

Marleycoffee.com is sold online and at Larchmont Larder and the Larchmont Wine & Cheese Shop.

Larchmont Chronicle
542½ North Larchmont Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Editor & Publisher: Jane Gilman
Associate Publisher: Irwin Gilman

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Information about the Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, Miracle Mile, Park LaBrea areas of Los Angeles, california. The larchmont Chronicle provides information, news stories, local events, advertising, real estate information, real estate listing advertisings, Los Angeles area demographics and other neighborhood news.