About Our CEO
Jack Karuletwa the Founder and CEO's Story:
As a young man, Jack witnessed many Rwandans, almost always Tutsi, on the move and unsettled, the results of political
unrest and the impending genocide. His family was among those on the move.
Jack's father sensed trouble in Rwanda as early as the 1960s and made a quick decision to move the family out
of the country. As a result, Jack and his siblings spent most of their lives as Tutsi refugees from
Rwanda unable to live in their own country simply because of the ethnic group from which they came. They
moved consistently, changed their names, or even pretend not to be Rwandan. During this time, his
mother shielded her children from the danger with her strong faith and maternal instincts.
Jack knew when he moved to the United States in the mid 1990s that his father was saving him from ever
having to go back to Rwanda where there seemed no hope of escaping intense scrutiny, discrimination and
hostility. He attended Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, where he studied physics and
discovered his aptitude for basketball, which lead to a three-month travel tour with the Harlem Globe
Trotters and a place on the NBA practice team. He also worked as an actor on nationally syndicated television
shows and commercials, and co-starred in a Disney feature film. With every opportunity he promised
himself that one day he would return to Rwanda from a position of strength and hope.
The timing could not have been better than now! With new leadership, Rwanda is now prepared and poised to
promote reconciliation, regeneration and a new vision for the country! Jack will be a part of that vision by
introducing Rwanda as one of the best producers of coffee and tea in the world.
Named for the endangered Silverback Gorilla whose natural habitat is Rwanda and neighboring Uganda,
Jack's vision and mission for Silverback Coffee of Rwanda is very straightforward - help the poorest
coffee farmers realize their value, empower the human resources that make it possible for every Rwandan to
become a part of a global economy, and celebrate the power of the human spirit everyday - with a cup of coffee in hand!
|
|
|
