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Joseph John, known in the coffee industry as Dr. John, died Sept. 15 at 88. With his wife, Urmila, he founded Josuma Coffee Company in 1992 and spent decades promoting Indian-grown coffee and educating U.S. audiences about espresso.
Joseph John, the former nuclear physicist who helped introduce Indian-grown coffees to U.S. specialty roasters and taught widely about espresso, died Sept. 15 at age 88, according to Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine. Known in the industry as Dr. John, he co-founded Josuma Coffee Company with his wife, Urmila, in 1992 and developed its Malabar Gold Espresso blend.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Josuma Coffee Company built its business around relationships with Indian coffee estates and coffees selected for specialty roasters. John also worked with growers and the Coffee Board of India to improve quality and strengthen Indian coffee’s presence in the U.S. market, the report said.
John developed Malabar Gold Espresso in 1996 as a demonstration of what Indian beans could contribute to premium espresso blends. The blend later became Josuma’s flagship roasted coffee. He also advocated for using high-quality robusta in espresso, challenging attitudes in the U.S. specialty coffee industry that often favored other approaches to blending.
From the early 2000s, John wrote about espresso extraction and blending and taught at Coffee Fest and other industry events. His work included a two-part 2008 article in Roast magazine and the 2023 book Creating a Perfect Espresso. He retired in 2017 but remained involved in coffee education. John is survived by Urmila, their son Melind and daughter-in-law Steph, who manages Josuma with Melind.
A Wider Market for Indian Coffee
John’s work connected Indian coffee producers with U.S. specialty buyers at a time when, according to the Daily Coffee News report, the origin was largely overlooked in that market. His approach combined sourcing relationships with education: he introduced roasters to Indian coffees and explained how they could be used in espresso blends.
That influence extended beyond Josuma’s products. In a 2018 account of Indian coffee’s development, Barrington Coffee Roasting Company co-founder Barth Anderson credited John with introducing him to Indian specialty coffee in 1996 and described his influence on American roasters and Indian producers. Josuma’s continuing family ownership also gives the company a direct connection to the work John began.
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From Nuclear Physics to Coffee
Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, in 1938, John earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics and joined India’s atomic energy program in 1958. He moved to the United States in 1964, earned a doctorate in nuclear physics from Florida State University in 1968, and later worked for Gulf General Atomic in San Diego before moving into business and consulting in the Bay Area.
His move into coffee came after an acquaintance connected to an Indian coffee estate sought help finding U.S. buyers. John told Fresh Cup magazine in 2012 that he and Urmila had not planned to enter the business. The couple established Josuma in 1992, then developed Malabar Gold four years later. In 2018, the company became an early supporter of the UC Davis Coffee Center; a conference room there bears Josuma’s name, according to the report.
“It was not by design. It was really just sheer accident.”
— Joseph John, in a 2012 interview with Fresh Cup magazine
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Details of His Death and Legacy
The report gives the date of John’s death as Sept. 15 and his age as 88, but does not state a cause of death or where he died. No further details about memorial services are included in the supplied report. The extent of Josuma’s plans to commemorate John or continue particular education programs has not been specified.
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Josuma’s Family-Led Future
Josuma remains family-owned and operated under the management of Melind John and Steph, the report said. The company’s continued work will carry forward the business John and Urmila founded, though the report does not announce changes to its products, management or educational activities following his death.
Further information about memorial arrangements or any company plans may come from the family or Josuma. Until then, the confirmed details are John’s death, his decades of work promoting Indian coffee and espresso education, and the ongoing family management of the company.
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Key Questions
Who was Joseph John?
Joseph John, known in the coffee industry as Dr. John, was a former nuclear physicist, coffee entrepreneur and educator who promoted Indian-grown coffee in the U.S. specialty market.
When did Joseph John die?
He died on Sept. 15, 2026, at age 88, according to Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine, which published its report on Oct. 20.
What was Josuma Coffee Company?
John and his wife, Urmila, founded Josuma Coffee Company in 1992. The Bay Area company focused on Indian coffees and developed Malabar Gold Espresso, its flagship roasted coffee offering.
What is Malabar Gold Espresso?
It is Josuma’s espresso blend, developed by John in 1996 to demonstrate the potential of Indian coffees in premium espresso blends. The report says it is made exclusively with Indian coffees.
Who is managing Josuma now?
Josuma remains family-owned and is managed by John’s son, Melind, and daughter-in-law, Steph, according to the report.
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