Origin: Brazil

Region: Carmo De Minas

Altitude: 1000 1300 m.a.s.l.

The Cup: Raspberry, honey, green apple, dark chocolate.

The 100 years of tradition in coffee-growing in Carmo de Minas, in southern Minas Gerais, are interlaced with the history of the Sertão Group / Carmo de Minas. The first cultivation of coffee in the region occurred at the Sertão Estate, which gives its name to the group.

Inherited by José Isidro Pereira and Nazareth Dias Pereira, and currently managed by their sons and in-laws, the estate is still part of the group, which also has other properties, including the Santa Inês and São Benedito estates and the São José farm. Sertão has highly qualified technical assistance in each of its areas of activity, in order to improve continually the products it supplies and thus satisfy its customers

Region: Huila, Nariño, Cauca and Tolima

Altitude: 1080 – 2950  m.a.s.l.

The Cup: Sugar cane juice, apricot, tropical fruits, honey, tomato and melon with clean, tangy citric and tartaric acidity.

The Regional Select Program was created to highlight the unique profiles we have found that are inherent to specific microregions within Colombia. The regions we are focusing on are Huila, Nariño, Cauca and Tolima. The primary difference between the Microlot Program and Regional Select is the preshipment cupping score.

This program adds yet another tier to our stratified buying structure in Colombia, designed to further reward quality. As the coffees are received at origin, they are separated based on quality and local areas.

We think that the terroir or soil, sun weather, and placement on the planet contribute largely to the flavor of these coffees, when they are picked ripe and handled properly. These coffees are selected by cup and then blended, like a Rhone wine or a local honey that comes many fields in a 4-mile radius.

Region: Potrero Grande

Altitude: 1400 m.a.s.l

The Cup: Toffee sweetness with tart lemon acidity and a mellow nutty aftertaste.

El Salvador is known mainly for its big estates, but we are sourcing these day-lots from small-producing families in Potrero Grande, a microregion at the top of Volcan de Santa Ana, between Palo Campana and Buenos Aires. In Potrero, they have not planted as many hybrid varieties as they have elsewhere in El Salvador (such as Catimor in Buenos Aires), so the general quality of the cup is top-notch.

The Rio Zarco mill has a cherry receiving station in the middle of Potrero Grande, making it easy for farmers to drop off their bags after they’re done picking. Here they do an initial screening, and all bags are tagged with I.D.s telling us the farm,
variety, and quality of picking.

When the bags arrive at the mill, Rio Zarco takes samples and puts them through a computer program which calculates the percentage of ripe cherry as opposed to green, semi-ripe, dry, and floating cherries. This way there is an objective standard to measure quality, and farmers who have picked well receive a bonus.

We are excited to be able to showcase these coffees from small producers in Potrero Grande who are producing such high-quality coffee.

Region: Yirga Cheffee Gedeo Zone

Altitude: 2000 – 2350 m.a.s.l

The Cup: Creamy and tart with caramel, chamomile and white grape.

The ECX was started in 2008 to help protect farmers from market forces that might prevent them from making a living. Most of the coffee in Ethiopia is produced by small-holders who own 0.7 hectares, bumper crops often lead to big price drops, which can make it unprofitable for farmers to harvest their coffee.

What the ECX does is commoditize grains- including sesame, beans, maize, wheat, and most importantly, coffee. This ensures prompt payment to farmers. It also integrates all parts of the “eco-system” involved in a grains market, including warehousing, grading, trading, and payment. Access to information is emphasized, as farmers can obtain information about trading prices and local delivery points easily through dedicated telephone lines.

Region: Kiambu Copunty, Gatandu District

Altitude: 1600 – 1800 m.a.s.l.

The Cup: Juicy sweetness, creamy and tart with caramel, floral, tangy lime and dried fruit flavors; malic and tartaric acids.

Gachika is one of three coffee factories operated by the Kiraratia Farmers Cooperative Society in in the Kiambu Provence. Brought on foot, cart, truck, or motorbike, over 600 tons of cherry is delivered to Gachika, Gitare, and Gichuka Factories during harvest. The cherry is grown by over 2000 cooperative members on plots averaging only about 200 trees each.

Kiambu has a unique terrain of rolling red hills, flowing down from the Aberdare Mountains. This county was once the center of the Agikuyu tribe, but with the increasing population of Nairobi, land that was rural is now being absorbed in the urban sprawl.

Region: Murang’a County, Mathioya District

Altitude: 1900 m.a.s.l.

The Cup: Sugary mouthfeel, sparkling cola acidity and juicy sweetness with lime, cacao, caramel, sweet tomato, and apple.

The Gondo wet mill is operated by the New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society, which is comprised of 560 members.Timely and selective hand picked cherries are delivered to the Gondo wet mill the same day they are picked. Cherry sorting is carried out at the wet mill prior to the pulping. The ripe cherries are  processed through the wet processing method that utilizes clean water from Kananahu stream. Sun drying is done after careful fermentation and washing before delivery of the parchment coffee to the dry mill for secondary processing.

The society has a workforce of 19 permanent staff and an average of 25 seasonal workers. The wet mill production for 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 crop seasons was 87,675 kg and 177,392 kg of coffee cherry respectively.