$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
$22.50 $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
Sold Out $79.00
TASTING NOTES: Citrus aromas lead to notes of peanut brittle, chocolate, and lime with a thick body.
COUNTRY: Colombia
PRODUCER: ASOTBILBAO
REGION: Planadas, Tolima, Rio Blanco, Chaparral
ELEVATION: 1450 masl
SOIL: Clay minerals
PROCESS: Washed and dried in the sun
OTHER: Traceable, organic farm
*Please note that slight adjustments to the above may need to be made to account for your equipment, climate and aging of the beans
FARM INFO
This traceable coffee with a vibrant regional profile comes from the Cooperativa Multiactiva de Asociaciones Agropecuarias del Tolima (Multicoop) association. It has 379 producers with small farms in the municipalities of Planadas, Rioblanco, and Chapparal. Each producer has their own micro-mill where they carefully harvest cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and gently dry the parchment on raised beds. Their impeccable farm management and post-harvest practices culminate into a clean and consistent blend. But there are also just enough differences from farm to farm to create a rich complexity of flavors.
For many years Tolima has remained hidden in plain sight between other well-known coffee growing regions because armed conflict and coca leaf production isolated small coffee producers and exposed them to high rates of violence. As conflict has subsided in recent years, locally organized associations have taken the lead in creating market access for their coffee. Strategies like certifications have dominated this region's ability to differentiate coffee in a competitive market.
Origin photos by Royal Coffee
