The LetSequoia Journal

Stories from Rwanda, DR Congo, and the specialty coffee world — written by Anna Kim and the LetSequoia team.

Rwanda coffee farmer
Farmer EquityFeatured

7 Cents. That's What a Farmer Gets From Your $2.80 Cup.

The specialty coffee industry's most inconvenient number — and why Anna Kim built an entire company to change it.

YPO EDGE leadership summit
LeadershipYPO EDGE 2019

Putting Down Roots: What I Told 3,000 CEOs in Cape Town

Anna Kim's account of speaking at the world's most prestigious CEO gathering — and why the Sequoia model surprised them.

Kigali Rwanda
Founder's StoryJune 2025

The Day I Landed in Kigali With Two Bags and a Dream

What happens when a young Korean-American woman shows up alone in East Africa to start a coffee company from scratch?

Rwanda specialty coffee beans
Coffee EducationJuly 2025

Why Rwanda Coffee Is the Most Misunderstood Origin in Specialty

Bourbon varietals. 1,850m elevations. Wet-process mastery. And yet Rwanda still gets overlooked. Here's why that's about to change.

Specialty coffee industry
LeadershipAugust 2025

What Sitting on the SCA Board of Directors Taught Me About the Industry

I was a social entrepreneur from Kigali. They were roasters and executives from six continents. Here's what I learned.

Rwandan coffee farmers
Origin StorySeptember 2025

The Inzere Farmers Who Each Pooled $10 — and Changed Everything

No single farmer had enough volume to matter. So they did something radical: they trusted each other.

DR Congo landscape
Origin StoryOctober 2025

Congo: The Origin the Specialty Coffee World Forgot

At 2,150 meters, Mivona grows some of the highest-altitude coffee on the planet. Almost no one knows it exists yet.

Coffee cupping
CraftNovember 2025

What Is CQR — and Why Every Serious Roaster Should Care

Cupping, Quality, Roasting. It's not just a service — it's a discipline that separates good roasters from great ones.

Digital access Africa
ImpactDecember 2025

Why We're Building Digital Centers Inside Coffee Washing Stations

Coffee is the entry point. But what we really sell is access — economic access, digital access, and a future.

Coffee export logistics
Buyers GuideJanuary 2026

A Roaster's Complete Guide to Buying African Specialty Green Coffee

Logistics, sampling, lead times, minimum orders — everything you need to know before your first African origin purchase.

Giant sequoia trees
PhilosophyFebruary 2026

The Sequoia Philosophy: Why We Named a Coffee Company After a Tree

The giant Sequoia's roots are only six feet deep. Its secret is that they stretch hundreds of feet wide — intertwined with every neighbor.

Kigali city
PersonalMarch 2026

Being Korean-American in Kigali: What Nobody Tells You About Starting Over

I left everything familiar. My language, my community, my comfort zone. What I found on the other side was worth it.

Coffee farming economics
Social EnterpriseApril 2026

The Pre-Finance Problem That Keeps African Farmers Trapped — and How We're Fixing It

Without working capital before harvest, farmers borrow at punishing rates. Our Pre-Finance program breaks the cycle.

Anna Kim 12 years
ReflectionMay 2026

Twelve Years in Africa: What I Know Now That I Didn't When I Landed

From a 20-something with a backpack and a UCLA degree, to building one of Rwanda's most recognized coffee brands. The honest retrospective.