Rohan Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, has his sights set on new and emerging regions, including Asia, for his successful Marley Coffee.
Fans of the coffee include golfer Giulia Molinaro, Chilean surfer Isidora Ureta, Kirstie Alley and Lennox Lewis.
Marley’s coffee success was not initially a firm plan. He was considering growing apples to make jam when he bought a pristine 52-acre estate in Jamaica for $200K at age 27.
@Romarley ran into this marley coffee machine pic.twitter.com/BPgNdFKrLA
— ✈Kaleem P✈ (@Rastamon_Kaleem) July 4, 2014
“I wasn’t really sure what I’d do with the land but I saw some apples on the ground and thought that might be good,” said Marley, 42, who followed the local community’s advice and grew Blue Mountain coffee instead.
Last year, sales were $6 million, up from $1.8 million a year earlier. This quarter, sales were $2.3 million for all of its businesses, including licensing fees.
The average price for Blue Mountain coffee is about $24.99 for an 8-ounce bag, while the average price for Ethiopian blend is $9.99 for that size.