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Dr. Joseph John, who helped bring Indian-grown specialty coffee to U.S. buyers and developed Josuma Coffee’s Malabar Gold Espresso, died Sept. 15 at 88. His family’s company remains in operation under the management of his son and daughter-in-law.
Dr. Joseph John, a former nuclear physicist who helped introduce Indian-grown specialty coffee to the U.S. market, died Sept. 15 at age 88, according to Daily Coffee News. John co-founded Josuma Coffee Company with his wife, Urmila, and developed its Malabar Gold Espresso blend, while teaching coffee professionals about espresso and Indian coffees.
John and Urmila established Josuma Coffee Company in 1992 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company focused on building direct relationships with Indian coffee estates and bringing coffees suited to specialty roasters to a U.S. market that the report describes as largely overlooking the origin at the time. John also worked with growers and the Coffee Board of India on quality and on expanding Indian coffee’s presence in the United States.
In 1996, John developed Malabar Gold Espresso as a demonstration of how Indian beans could work in premium espresso blends. It later became Josuma’s flagship roasted coffee. John also advocated for using high-quality robusta in espresso, challenging attitudes in the U.S. specialty coffee industry, according to the report.
From the early 2000s, John wrote and taught about espresso extraction and blending, including at Coffee Fest and other industry events. His work included a two-part article on espresso blending in Roast magazine in 2008 and the 2023 book Creating a Perfect Espresso. He retired in 2017, but continued to be involved in coffee education. Josuma remains family-owned and is managed by his son, Melind, and daughter-in-law, Steph.
An Advocate for Indian Coffee
John’s work connected Indian coffee producers and U.S. specialty buyers at a time when, according to Daily Coffee News, Indian-grown coffee had limited recognition in that market. His company’s sourcing relationships and his work with growers and the Coffee Board of India supported efforts to bring more Indian coffees to American roasters.
His influence also extended to how coffee professionals discussed espresso. Malabar Gold offered a commercial example of a blend made exclusively with Indian coffees, while John’s lectures and writing addressed extraction, blending and robusta. A 2018 account cited in the report credited him with introducing Indian specialty coffee to American roasters and influencing producers in India.
The continuation of Josuma under family management provides a link between John’s work and the company’s current operations. The report does not quantify the wider effect of his advocacy on Indian coffee sales or production, so its impact is best described through the documented relationships, products and educational work.
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From Physics to Coffee
Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in 1938, John studied physics and joined India’s atomic energy program in 1958, at age 20. He moved to the United States in 1964 and earned a doctorate in nuclear physics from Florida State University in 1968. He later worked for Gulf General Atomic, a predecessor of General Atomics, in San Diego, then moved into business and consulting in the Bay Area.
John’s route into coffee began when an acquaintance connected to an Indian coffee estate asked him to help find American buyers. In a 2012 interview with Fresh Cup magazine, John said he and Urmila had not planned to enter the coffee business. Josuma grew from that introduction, and the couple formally established the company in 1992.
Josuma became an early supporter of the UC Davis Coffee Center in 2018; a conference room there bears the company’s name, according to Daily Coffee News. John’s wife, Urmila, son Melind and daughter-in-law Steph survive him.
““It was not by design. It was really just sheer accident.””
— Dr. Joseph John, in a 2012 interview with Fresh Cup magazine
Details of His Death
Daily Coffee News reported that John died on Sept. 15, aged 88, citing the John family, but the supplied report gives no cause or location of death. It also does not provide further details about memorial plans or a statement from the family beyond the biographical and survivor information it reports.
Josuma Continues Under Family
Josuma Coffee remains family-owned under the management of Melind John and Steph, according to the report. It does not announce any change to the company’s products, sourcing or educational work following John’s death. Future company plans and any public memorial arrangements have not been specified in the source material.
Key Questions
When did Joseph John die?
He died on Sept. 15, 2026, according to Daily Coffee News. The report, published Oct. 20, said he was 88.
What was Josuma Coffee Company?
John and his wife, Urmila, founded Josuma Coffee Company in 1992 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It focused on sourcing Indian coffees for U.S. specialty roasters.
What is Malabar Gold Espresso?
It is Josuma’s flagship roasted coffee, developed by John in 1996 as a demonstration of Indian beans in premium espresso blends. The blend is made exclusively with Indian coffees, according to the report.
Who runs Josuma now?
The company remains family-owned and is managed by John’s son, Melind, and daughter-in-law, Steph, the report says.
Source: rss
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