His Bicycle Genius Changed the World, Twice

To bicycle aficionados the Tom Ritchey brand stands for a string of innovations that span several decades, all the way to the birth of mountain biking along the Northern California coast in the 1970's. Amidst the popular hero worshiping of people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates the story of Tom Ritchey carries for me special meaning. His bicycle genius changed the world, twice
Tim Lewis writes about Tom in his excellent new book, Land of Second Chances. Book excerpt: Tom Ritchey, The dot connector
Endowed with a blend of gumption, industriousness, creativity and riding prowess Ritchey and fellow pioneers Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher developed both the first successful mountain bike business and a scene to go with it. The rest is, as they say, history.
Since those heady days Tom and his company Ritchey Logic have consistently produced well-respected bicycles and bike components, and in the process made him wealthy. For many that would be enough, but not for Ritchey.
In 2005 difficulties in his personal life would lead Tom on an exploration, visiting the country of Rwanda while it was still reeling from the devastation wrought by the genocide of 1994. Amidst severe material deprivation and social upheaval, the Rwandans impressed Ritchey with their resilience and optimism. Their president, Paul Kagame, embodied this by declaring his intention to make Rwanda the world’s first “purpose-driven nation.”
Tom determined to help them and discovered a crucial connection between two of his passions: bicycles and coffee.
Thousands of Rwandans were struggling to improve their material well-being through the cultivation of coffee. But these farmers were failing, for a lack of adequate transportation for their crops. After picking the coffee cherries from their trees, most farmers faced a long, difficult slog getting their harvest to village washing stations before the cherries spoiled.
Ritchey came up with a plan to supply them with a bicycle he specifically designed for this purpose, able to haul 300 pounds of cargo over the rough, hilly rural roads...and cost each farmer about $100.

Since then Tom Ritchey's Project Rwanda has placed 2,000 "coffee bikes" throughout Rwanda. These "two-wheeled pack mules" are helping coffee farmers and their families to be more productive, and to rise above poverty for the first time in their generation. Project Rwanda has singled out the coffee grower as an initial target, but other farmers and service providers, such as couriers, taxis, police, healthcare workers and teachers all can benefit from owning a cargo bike.
Large corporate coffee buyers such as Starbucks and Costco are now doing business in Rwanda, which is signalling to other potential trading partners that Rwanda is recovering from the recent past.
Tom has used the remaining proceeds donated to Project Rwanda in support of an effort to promote bicycle racing and specifically with the elite Team Rwanda. A movie called Rising from the Ashes tells that story.

My friend David Southerland and me hanging with Tom Ritchey
at the 2014 North American Handmade Bicycle Show

Coffee, bikes, renewal...you gotta love it!