About Us
A Slice of North America
1) FRESH, HIGH-QUALITY FOOD AND FANTASTIC COFFEE
We use the best ingredients in our food, whether it’s sourced abroad (like our New Zealand butter) or locally (like our fresh passionfruit juice) or prepared specially in house (like our gourmet ice cream). As for our coffee, it’s organic, fair trade, and grown in southern Laos by a community cooperative of farmers. The green beans are shipped directly to each Joma city, where it is roasted to perfection by local roastmasters.
2) EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
Our aim with every customer is to improve their day in any way big or small, whether you’re an expat who hasn’t tasted a reuben sandwich in years or you’re a backpacker looking for a communal space to meet fellow travelers. Additionally, our staff go through a thorough training process to provide a consistently high standard of service that is friendly and attentive.
3) EMPOWERING THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES AROUND US
This is what really sets Joma apart. With our 10% of profit plan, Joma gives 10% to charitable organizations in the communities around our cafes. We also work with several NGO’s, including Hagar International, to provide job training and employment opportunities to disadvantaged persons and victims of human rights abuse.
Our Coffee
Joma’s house blend comes from the lush, shady forests of the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, where the farming families work to produce top quality Arabica coffee beans. Many of these families are ethnic minority groups and rely almost entirely on coffee harvest for their income.
The coffee trees are shade-grown, which means forests are not harmed by planting the coffee trees. Rather, the forest actually helps the coffee trees by giving much needed shade from direct sunlight, and balancing the soil’s nutrients. The Bolaven Plateau provides prime coffee-growing conditions such as volcanic soil, high elevation, cool temperatures, and ample rainfall. This mutually beneficial environment also maintains the natural habitats of native birds and insects. The Arabica plant has been found to thrive in these elements, yielding one of the world’s most rare and distinctive coffees.
Coffee trees take 4-5 years to reach maturity and provide a fruitful harvest. After the trees flower, the fruit buds produce a coffee “cherry.” When the cherries turn a bright, deep red, they are ready for harvest. Lao farmers hand-select only the best and ripest cherries to ensure quality and consistency in production. The ripe cherry contains two beans covered with multiple layers that are removed through a unique processing method to give us the dry green bean that is ready for roasting.
After the dry green beans are graded by size and sorted to remove damaged beans, the roasting process begins. The green bean swells to nearly twice its original size and begins to change color as it absorbs heat. The light green changes to yellow, then to a light “cinnamon,” and becomes increasingly dark brown, continuing until it is removed from heat. Roasting is a vital part of achieving a delectable cup of coffee and requires unique skill. The Roastmaster is responsible for achieving certain aspects of each blend. Joma uses only the freshest espresso beans straight from a local roaster in order to offer you the highest quality cup of Lao coffee.
Joma baristas take pride in providing an exceptional experience to every customer every time. Additionally, they continually learn from and encourage one another to improve their skills and service, so that the customer enjoys not just a cup of coffee, but a little piece of art. In addition to a quality espresso, our baristas are trained and skilled in providing our customers with a variety of specialty coffee drinks, from a steamy latte to a frothy cappuccino freeze. Available in our original house blend and decaf. Packaged beans or grounds are available for purchase in the cafes and in many nearby shops. Our baristas will be happy to grind the beans to suit your needs.
Our History
