Tag Archives: coffee

Coffee, Peru, Sustainable Farming

Weekend Coffee Links September 23-25

We’re back in the saddle, and roasting like crazy to catch up on orders. This coming weekend is CoffeeFest Anaheim, which is sure to be an educational & delightful experience. We look forward to connecting with friends and business associates. Meanwhile, here’s some links for your perusal. Enjoy!

According to a new report, making coffee sustainable will cost billions and take decades.

It’s a lot easier said than done, and getting more money to the farmer workers is the hardest part.

The Philippine Coffee Board is working to educate farmers to do their own coffee tasting

 Many farmers have never tasted their own coffee properly roasted and prepared. (Perfect Daily Grind)

On Teaching all of the qualities of perfect ripening, and beyond

 Learning more about the science of coffee ripeness, and the precise temperatures for fermentation help farmers to produce the finest coffee. (Perfect Daily Grind)

Climate change could make coffee farming no longer viable. (gulp!)

 Farmers and locals are saying the climate extremes of the last few years are changing the viability of coffee farming. (NY Times)

US no longer leads in coffee consumption

 Hard to believe…

The founder of the Smithsonian was a coffee geek in 1823 & came up with a good way to prepare coffee

Coffee lovers are uniting in Turkey for the 3rd Istanbul Coffee Festival

 Turkey is having a coffee festival. (We won’t be there this year.)

Profits for coffee farmers dangerously low

 Low profits could spell the end of specialty coffee

Is Peru the Sunset Land of the Sumerians?

Interesting read about a possible Peru-Sumerian connection.

Spicy was out & Bland was In

Eating habits have changed a lot since the 1930’s

Monsanto & Bayer Consolidate More Corporate Agriculture

 Got seeds?

 

 

Coffee

Gone Fishing….

The office will be closed this week, returning on September 22nd. Thanks for your understanding! We’ll be returning soon with the best of green coffees for our roaster friends, and the finest roasted beans for coffee lovers.

House Dark

Coffee

Coffee Links: September 9th

 

After a short week, it’s Friday!

Some tidbits from this week:

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2016/09/06/texas-am-establishes-center-for-coffee-research-and-education/

 Texas A&M Establishes Coffee Research Center (Roast Magazine)

http://sprudge.com/climate-change-will-halve-suitable-coffee-growing-land-107689.html 

Climate Change will Halve Suitable Coffee Growing Land (Sprudge)

http://sprudge.com/coffee-on-instagram-josh-hara-of-yoyoha-99585.html

 Coffee on Instagram (Hilarious) (Sprudge)

http://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2016/07/washed-natural-honey-coffee-processing-101/

 Learn About Different Coffee Processing – Washed, Honey, Natural (Perfect Daily Grind)

http://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2016/01/coffee-hunter-a-movie-on-how-sasa-sestic-won-the-wbc/

 The Coffee Hunter Movie Coming (Perfect Daily Grind)

http://www.coffeeandcocoa.net/2016/09/05/researchers-claim-mango-provide-alternative-cocoa-butter/

 Using Mango to Replace Cocoa Butter in Chocolate (CCI) Because we love chocolate too!

http://www.coffeeandcocoa.net/2016/09/05/next-lets-talk-coffee-event-take-place-puerto-vallarta-october/

 Let’s Talk Coffee in Puerto Vallarta in October (CCI)

 

Coffee

Some Recent Coffee Links

Here’s a few tidbits that crossed my monitor lately… Enjoy!

 

http://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2016/08/farm-can-adopt-coffee-tree/

Adopt a coffee tree! (Perfect Daily Grind)

http://sprudge.com/coffee-lovers-guide-las-vegas-105791.html

Las Vegas Coffee Guide (Sprudge) Missing some of my favorites…

http://www.perfectdailygrind.com/2016/09/producer-interview-direct-trade-two-way-street/

On Direct Trade (Perfect Daily Grind)

http://dailycoffeenews.com/2016/08/30/following-groundbreaking-development-burmese-coffee-arrives-on-us-soil/

Burmese coffee arrives in the US (Roast Magazine)

http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/doctors-warn-against-asskicker-coffee/news-story/1193856e931f303325bf9c8a5ada91ac

Doctors Warn Against Asskicker Coffee – 80 Times the Caffeine: Wow!

http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/9/2/12769614/sony-home-robot-xperia-agent-ifa-2016

Sony’s Coffee Ordering Robot (The Verge)

http://www.agrimoney.com/news/coffee-futures-jump-as-export-tumble-fuels-supply-fears–9891.html

Coffee Prices are rising, and expected to rise more in coming weeks

http://www.nation.co.ke/news/direct-selling-overseas-help-farmers-get-high-income/1056-3362306-l3wrqd/

Selling coffee directly increases farmers’ income (Nation)

Coffee, Sustainable Farming

From Guatamala to Arizona – Solanos y Hermanos

A new startup in Prescott brings a sustainable coffee supply chain to Arizona. Via Roast magazine:

When engineer Joel Clark head to Guatemala several years ago for work on a silver, lead and zinc mine, little did he know that it was gold he’d actually strike. Coffee gold that is, in the form of partnership with brothers David and Eddie Solano.

David Solano was a local engineer hired to work with Clark, while Eddie Solano worked alongside American financial engineer Chris Dratz in ironing out fiscal projections and strategies for the business. Eventually it came out in conversation that the Solano brothers’ family owned the vast and well-respected Buena Vista coffee farm, and soon after that, Clark happened to see an episode of the CNBC reality TV show The Profit in which the host looks into a coffee roastery and advises the roaster to skip his green brokers and widen his profit margins by buying directly from the source.

“I was like, ‘woah, that’s quite a difference,’” Clark recalled. “And then I thought ‘woah, wait a minute, I know some farmers!’ Then I started talking with David and we hatched this scheme.”

In February of this year, the scheme came to fruition: The café Solanos y Hermanos opened its doors to the public in Prescott, Ariz., about one block away from the Prescott University campus. A seven-pound-capacity Sedona Elite drum roaster runs in a 200-square-foot roasting workshop adjoining Clark’s home, while the 1,140-square-foot coffeehouse caters not only to lovers of top quality coffee — greens from Buena Vista farm have scored 93 points in SCAA cuppings — but consumers that appreciate knowing their patronage supports an ethically sound supply chain, all the way down to the harvesters laboring on mountaintops a world away.

Full article here: Solanos y Hermanos Offers a Great View From Guatemala to Arizona | Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine

Coffee, Curibamba, Peru

Real People, Really Good Coffee July/August 2016

The last few months have been a flurry of activity. (So what else is new!) Besides wearing the green coffee importer hat, we’ve been steadily growing our retail, online, and wholesale roasted (and green) coffee business. I do have a couple of unfinished posts that I hope to publish soon.

The green coffee business has slowed over the summer, but we’re diligent in contacting new roasters to see if we can build a friendship, and some interest in the work (and coffee) that we’ve been doing. The direct trade coffee business is challenging in the real world, because although most would love to help the farmers, sometimes the bottom line seems to outweigh those “out of sight, out of mind” families that labor intensively to harvest, ferment, dry, and bag our daily cup.

The competition is ferocious. The large companies own farms, and contract for the cheapest possible price whenever they buy from local growers. In the ever changing commodity coffee market, this often places the value of the farmer on the bottom end.

Our direct trade model requires the farmer to put in a little more quality control, and attention, but allows earnings that are double or more for their efforts.

Paying more though, puts the smaller direct trade coffee importers at an immediate price disadvantage vs. the “big boys.”

Luckily, we do find many roasters that are interested in more than just price. While the idea of a truly sustainable coffee supply chain may never be completely realizable, we’ll never know what the possibilities are unless we make the attempt. We truly appreciate those who see the bigger picture, and support the small family farmers. The Curibamba Coffee Project is changing lives, and every cup makes a difference.

Meanwhile, the roasting part of the coffee business allows for a better profit potential. Here, the most important thing is quality. We recently purchased a Sonofresco Coffee Roaster for use at Farmer’s Markets & Shows. It’s a fun roaster, and produces excellent flavor in the cup. It works via hot air, and results in an amazingly consistent roast every time. Because we can roast live, it’s an attention getter. Most people are surprised to know that we actually went to the farm to buy our coffee. It’s a wonderful story, and we love to share what we learned along the way. Being warmly received makes it all worth while.

We recently had to contact Sonofresco regarding changes to accommodate roasting at high elevation. The response was very fast, and it’s always nice to know that there is someone behind the scenes. It was relatively easy, so we’re ready to roast fresh coffee sea level to Colorado Rockies!

Farmers Market – Candy Kitchen, New Mexico
Farmers Market, El Morro, New Mexico
Farmers Market, El Morro, New Mexico
Musicians at the Farmers Market, El Morro, New Mexico

Continue reading Real People, Really Good Coffee July/August 2016 →

Coffee

Coffee Fest Panama September 3-4: First Specialty Coffee Event

Why It’s Time for Panama’s Coffee Fest

Although we’re beginning to see changes, it’s still true that specialty coffee is far less likely to be drunk in producing countries than in consuming ones. Panama is no exception to this. The country has been renowned for its high-quality beans for over a decade, but until recently the average Panamian citizen didn’t have any access to them.

Fortunately, this is starting to change, in a movement led by coffee shops and roasteries. Today, Panamanians can drink Geisha and other award-winning beans locally – although this fact is still not well-known or well-advertised.

Coffee Fest, the country’s first specialty coffee event open to the public, will be a part of this movement. The organisers hope that it will motivate local consumers to learn about and engage with the specialty industry. In this way, they aim to promote the consumption of good-quality beans and also help Panamian coffee drinkers to understand how special their country’s coffee truly is.

Full article with info: Introducing Panama’s First Public Specialty Event: Coffee Fest – Perfect Daily Grind

Coffee

Upcoming Coffee Events with Links

Here’s a list of upcoming coffee events via the National Coffee Association:

Date Events Location Website
2016
 August 18 – 21 Roasters Guild Retreat  Delavan, Wisconsin www.roastersguild.org
  August 28 – 30  Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo  Los Angeles, CA westernfoodexpo.com
  September 1 – 4  International Festival of Tea and Coffee Bamako, Mali festithecafe@gmail.com
 September 2 – 4  Berlin Coffee Festival  Berlin, Germany berlincoffeefestival.de
 September 7 – 9 COTECA (Coffee Tea Cocoa/Global Industry Expo) Hamburg, Germany www.coteca-hamburg.com
 September 9 – 11  CT Coffee & Chocolate  Cape Town, South Africa www.coffeechoc.co.za
September 10 – 11 Coffee and Chocolate Expo San Juan, Puerto Rico www.coffeeandchocolateexpo.com
September 13 – 14 Expo Vending and OCS – Latin America  São Paulo, Brazil www.expovending.com.br
September 14 – 17  Golden Bean North America  Portland, Oregon goldenbeannorthamerica.com
September 15 Allegra World Coffee Portal CEO Forum New York, NY www.allegraceoforum.com
 September 16 – 18 New York Coffee Festival New York, NY www.newyorkcoffeefestival.com
September 19 – 23 117th Session of the ICO London, UK www.ico.org
 September 20–22  7th Annual North American Tea Conference  Ontario, Canada www.tea.ca
 September 25–26  Canadian Coffee & Tea Show Toronto, Canada  coffeeteashow.ca
September 27–29  Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show  Orlando, FL  www.flrestaurantandlodgingshow.com
 September 28–30 SCAJ 2016  Tokyo, Japan www.scajconference.jp
 September 29  National Coffee Day  Various Locations TBD
 October 1 International Coffee Day  Various Locations www.internationalcoffeeday.org
 October 5 Global Coffee Platform 1st Membership Assembly  Geneva, Switzerland www.gcpma16.org
 October 6 – 8  Roaster Camp 2016  Pärnu, Estonia  www.roasterguildofeurope.com
October 6 – 9 İstanbul Coffee Festival 2016 Istanbul, Turkey www.istanbulcoffeefestival.com
October 10 – 13  Barista Camp 2016  Pärnu, Estonia  www.baristaguildofeurope.com
October 20 – 22  World Tea & Coffee Expo  Mumbai, India  worldteacoffeeexpo.com
 October 20 – 24  Xiamen  Int’l Tea Fair  Xiamen, China  www.teafair.com.cn
 October 25 – 28 FSMA Training Seminar and Coffee Summit  Miami, FL www.ncausa.org
Coffee

Behmor Gives Back to the Coffee Community

Our very first roaster was a Behmor 1600, and it opened the door to fresher coffee & all of the joys of coffee roasting. Founder Joe Behm has been working to get many of these roasters into the hands of farmers, not only to allow them to taste their own coffee, but to help them appreciate the subtleties of flavor & give back to the coffee communities at large. Via Roast Magazine:

About a year ago, Behmor creator Joe Behm was on a panel during a coffee industry event with specialty coffee pioneer George Howell, and one snippet of that discussion resonated with Behm more deeply than anything he’s heard in his nearly 20 years in and around coffee. “

George mentioned something that absolutely floored me,” Behm said. “He said all these small farmers, many of them had never tasted their own coffee.”

Despite the fact that Behmor had previously explored some Central American distribution for its signature Behmor 1600 drum roaster — a steady, popular performer in the U.S. home roasting segment — this realization led Behm and the Behmor team to chart a new charitable course designed to honor and benefit the people who grow the roasted coffee that so many people in the industry take for granted, Behm recently told Daily Coffee News.

“I’m certainly not rich. We’re not Bonavita money, we’re not Cuisinart money; but I do see that what I sometimes I call a stupid idea I had back in 1999 has a real ability to change people’s lives,” Behm said of his roasting machine, hundreds of which have already been shipped to coffee growing and milling operations as part of what’s now called the Behmor Inspired program.

“It’s an opportunity for me to give back to the men and women who make all of this possible. Without these men and women we don’t have what we do.” Behm said his hope is that, with some assistance from partner organizations on the ground, the roasting machines can be used to help farmers and others in the production chain begin to better understand their own product in order to work toward quality improvements and more premium market access.

Source: Behmor Team Giving Back to the Farmers Who Have Made Business Possible | Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine

Coffee

Coffee Deliveries via Drones?

The world is changing in so many ways. While many thought that we’d be flying around in jet-packs by now, we still instead find ourselves stuck in traffic. What if you could have your favorite coffee brought right to your car? Sound farfetched? Read on…

Via Global Coffee Report:

Coffee, donuts and a hot chicken sandwich were the first items to ever be delivered by drone in the US. The historic flight, which was approved by US aviation officials, was carried out by 7-Eleven in the US state of Nevada on Friday, 22 July.

The flight was the result of a collaboration between 7-Eleven and the drone start-up company, Flirtey. While the 7-Eleven delivery is the first of its kind, it is believed it will not be the last, with online retail giant Amazon also experimenting with the new technology. Flirtey is also working with drones to deliver relief supplies as part of humanitarian missions around the world.

Source: Drone delivers first ever coffee in USA | Global Coffee Report

 

Dutch Engineers Invent Coffee Delivery Drone

It’s a familiar feeling: mid-morning, exploiting the first caffeine high of the day, at your Everest of efficiency. Yet before long comes a realization that the cup you filled before reaching your desk is empty. What to do? Abandon your station—risking all the in-transit distractions that come with refueling—or stay put, convincing yourself you can withstand the pre-lunch doldrums?

If some Amsterdam entrepreneurs have their way, this dilemma will soon die out thanks to the Coffee Copter, a drone built to bring cups of fresh, handcrafted coffee to the caffeine-needy right where they work.

When Starbucks announced this fall that it would soon be offering delivery to select customers in the U.S., Dutch media went abuzz—and turned local attention to this video of Dutch-invented Coffee Copter’s test flight through A-Lab, a former Shell laboratory repurposed as an office space in Amsterdam Noord.

The video begins with the tap of a finger. An office worker places an order via the Coffee Copter app, and the request is instantly transmitted to the café on the building’s ground floor. The barista makes the drink—rosetta everlovingly included—and then places the lidded paper cup on the waiting drone, docked at the bar. Rotors spin and off it goes, flying away, up two flights of stairs, down a hall and into an office room, where an H-marked landing pad receives the gentle touchdown. Human hands retrieve the goods. 

While the drone in the video is a prototype, work on a far more developed model of the Coffee Copter is underway. Behind it are six small companies whose leaders admit that the project has been a fine excuse to connect with kindred spirits over the offerings of their colleagues at Coffee Virus—an in-building coffee pop-up that became the official A-Lab lunch canteen, serving espresso drinks and filter coffee made from beans by Dutch roaster Bocca.

Full Article here. (Sprudge)

I’m still waiting for desert deliveries via drone, maybe it won’t be that long. Welcome to the future. Now, bring me my espresso!