$23.50
TASTING NOTES: Floral aromas followed by notes of blueberry muffin and black tea with a delicate body.
ROAST LEVEL: Light
COUNTRY: Ethiopia
REGION: Limu Seka district, Jimma zone, Oromia region
GROWER: Smallholder farmers organized around Hagem General Trading PLC
ELEVATION: 1900masl
PROCESS: Washed
OTHER: Traceable, Single Origin, Sustainable
FARM INFO
This is a smallholder-grown coffee processed centrally by Fahem General Trading PLC, an independent specialty exporter operating in Limu Seka, a small agricultural area at the top of the Jimma zone. Jimma sits next to the Keffa zone, in which high altitude forests arabica coffee is believed to have first evolved.
Jimma is a broad, sloping plateau of indescribable fertility and drastically high elevations. The best coffees of Jimma, from the Limu, Gera and Goma districts in particular, are known for being snappy with sweet and delicate fruit flavors. The area’s “white” honey, foraged by bees from coffee and forest blossoms, is another famous Jimma icon, and an utter sensory delight. Coffees from this zone, along with those from neighboring Illubabor, are commonly referred to as “Limu”, which is not a geographical indicator itself but more of a terroir distinction encapsulating common cup profiles from this part of the country.
Ato Mohamed Lalo is the founder of Fahem General Trading PLC and is very involved in Ethiopia’s specialty industry, along with his wife, who co-runs the couple’s private coffee estate. Like a lot of private estates, they make the most of their processing capacity by buying cherry from surrounding smallholders to use the estate like a washing station, processing centrally and selling the coffee separately from farms.
Fully washed coffee is produced by intaking cherry from registered smallholders. The coffee is weighed and transported to the estate where it is immediately depulped and fermented underwater for an average for 12 hours, then soaked in fresh water for another 12 hours, and finally washed and spread across raised screen beds to dry. Drying takes 7-10 days, after which the parchment coffee is bagged and moved into a ventilated warehouse for longer term storage.
Fahem consists of over 500 staff during harvest months, including all farm work, certification, training for farmers, marketing for their international sales (and local roasted brand), and apiary management. A portion of the company’s profit is annually reinvested in the local community, including schools, grain mills, pruning tools for smallholders, a local bridge and expanding the national electric grid.
Origin photo by Royal Coffee
$22.00 $79.00
TASTING NOTES: Cinnamon aromas followed by notes of chocolate, grape and dark fruit with a velvety body.
ROAST LEVEL: Medium
COUNTRY: Papua New Guinea
REGION: Eastern Highlands
GROWER: Various small growers
ELEVATION: 1100masl
SOIL: Volcanic loam
PROCESS: Hand-picked, wet-hulled, two-step sun drying on raised beds
OTHER: Traceable, Organic Farm
FARM INFO
Coffee is a relative newcomer to Papua New Guinea considering that the commercial coffee production in the country dates back to 1926/1927 when the first Jamaica Blue Mountain seeds were planted. Making up a share of approx. 70% the coffee production is largely characterized by small farmers with land holdings that grow as little as 20 trees per plot in so called “coffee gardens” alongside subsistence crops. The country is generally dominated by fragmented mountain ranges, steep valleys and plateaus that are difficult to access.
Since many of the smallholder farmers live in such remote places, their coffee must be picked up by airplanes on grass landing strips, or for those lucky enough to have road access, it must be trucked to the nearest town - often struggling with broken axles from the trip.
The typical village-based grower in PNG uses no synthetic fertilizer or chemical pesticides. Leaf-fall from trees which shade it, together with the skin and pulp of freshly processed crop provide natural and nutrient-rich mulch. In order to process this coffee the farmer uses either their own small hand-operated pulping machine, or brings their coffee cherries to central washing stations.
Sold Out $79.00
TASTING NOTES: Nutty aromas with notes of orange juice, pineapple, and honey with hints of chocolate.
ROAST LEVEL: Light/Medium
COUNTRY: East Timor
REGION: Ainaro, Ermera, and Lequisa
GROWER: Cooperativa Cafe Timor (CCT)
ELEVATION: 800-1600masl
SOIL: Volcanic loam
PROCESS: Fully washed and dried on raised beds
OTHER: Traceable, organic farm, sustainable
FARM INFO
This coffee is sourced from family owned farms organized around the Cooperativa Cafe Timor (CCT), which has more than 20,000 members who live in the Ainaro, Ermera and Lequisa districts of East Timor. Coffee Cultivation on East Timor was originally established over 400 years ago by Portuguese colonists, but leaf rust destroyed all production until a new coffee varietal called Hibrido de Timor was introduced in the 1900s.
Today, the average small producer cultivates coffee on less than one hectare of land. CCT was established in 1994 with the help of the USDA and the NCBA (National Cooperative Business Association) to help small producers market their coffee internationally. Through a free healthcare initiative, CCT has funded the operation of seven rural clinics, three mobile clinic teams and eleven community healthcare teams that have treated more than two million patients since 2001.
Origin photo by Royal Coffee
$22.75 $79.00
TASTING NOTES: Notes of milk chocolate, caramel, and cherry with bright acidity and a creamy body.
ROAST LEVEL: Light/Medium
COUNTRY: Costa Rica
REGION: Palmichal and Santa Ana Mountains
GROWER: Smallholder farmers organized organized around the Banko Chelchele washing station
ELEVATION: 1200-1600masl
PROCESS: Washed
OTHER: Traceable, Single Origin
FARM INFO
Romelia SHB EP comes from the cloudy region of the Palmichal rainforest which is famous for its unique acidity.
Manuel Rojas Arias was the pioneer coffee grower in Palmichal, located on the western slopes of the Escazu Mountains. Many farmers observed the success Don Manuel had with coffee and began to convert their sugar plantations into coffee farms. After Don Manuel’s death, he left his farms to his only sister, Romerlia. Thanks to her strength and perseverance, Dona Romelia was able to sustain the quality of her farm’s coffee.
European Preparation (EP) indicates that the coffee has been sorted to remove any defective beans and foreign materials. Additionally, the coffee was hand-sorted after being optically sorted during milling.
Origin photo by Interamerican Coffee
