Stories
Ricardo Perez
It's finally arrived! We cupped this coffee with Ricardo and chose this lot for its sweet, clean profile.
Ricardo has passed down his passion for coffee to his daughter Melonie, who has returned to the farm after going to university. They exemplify sustainability in their focus on organic processes, community collaboration by processing their neighbours coffee, and of course, quality.
We purchased this coffee directly from Ricardo, and had it shipped through our friends at Apex CoffeeRicardo and Melanie run the Helsar Station in the West Valley of Costa Rica. They are an important part of their community as they process many neighbouring farms. It’s a real honour to bring their coffee home to Winnipeg and share it here.
Chelbessa Organic
We are excited to bring back Chelbessa to our retail shelves. The washing station of Chelbessa in Yirgacheffe is famous for its profile of berries and delicate tea like qualities. Yirgacheffe coffee is often referred to as the reason people fall in love with specialty coffee. To taste blueberries in the cup is a magical experience. This harvest does not disappoint. It's everything we love about Ethiopian coffees and it is also organic!
This family run washing station brings in many generational farmers from the region. After receiving the cherry there is a strict sorting and washing protocol. Only the rippest cherries are sorted into this Grad 1 coffee. After being sorted, coffee is pulped and then fermented for 24 to 36 hours, depending on the weather conditions. Once fermentation is complete, the parchment is thoroughly washed in clean water and sent through grading channels, which separate each lot into two grades based on density. Once graded, the coffee is soaked in clean spring water in tanks for 12 to 24 hours to remove all traces of fermented mucilage. Drying is the last step and typically takes about 14 days on raised patios.
Ethiopia is often praised as the birthplace of coffee. Many believe that Yirgacheffe may be the actual birthplace. We see more genetic diversity in coffee in the region than any other. Coffee has a special way of connecting us to the globe. Chelbessa is a microcosm of this idea. Many small holder farmers contribute to this coffee. Often smaller than 5 hectares, it's common to list the amount of trees a farmer harvests.
We hope you enjoy this delicate coffee as much as we are.
Martha Reina
If you’re familiar with our coffees you know we are huge fans of the legend: Martha Reina. We’ve been committed to purchasing her coffee for a few harvests now and because of this partnership we’ve been able to purchased an exclusive micro lot.
First up, 100% Caturra semi aerobic! When we visited Martha in November we were blown away by her processing. This process isn’t as simple as “natural” or “fully washed” process. Coffee roasters like to put neat and tidy labels on coffees to explain a part of the process to consumers. In truth, it’s often far more complicated than that. This coffee is a perfect example.
After picking, the cherries go into a large tiled tolva tank for 30 hours. The tank is covered with a tarp to jump start fermentation. The coffee is then depulped with a small amount of mucilage left on the seed (lets call it honey). These semi washed seeds are then put into an aerobic tank without water for 24 hours. Following this step they are washed with cold water and placed out to dry on raised dry beds for 20 hours.
The result is one of the most exciting catarra’s we’ve tasted to date. Clean and crisp with candy notes of Skittles and yellow fruit!
This lot will be around for a few weeks.
Available in store and online now.
LOS NARANJOS, Henry & Tanya
High up in the clouds around 1900 meters above sea level, near the town of San Agustin, sits Los Naranjos. 14 years ago Henry and Tanya set out to purchase a farm and seek a better life for themselves. After winning a local raffle, Henry took his winnings (two cows) and sold them to the bank to get credit for his new farm. Years later, they are proud farmers with a beautiful house and lovely family. Something that sets them apart is that they are a hands-on family farm. They pick the coffee with cousins, process on their own wet-mill and transport the coffee.
It's a true family operation. It is in part due to this attention to detail that they produce some of the best Caturra and bourbon in the area. Their story is one of hope for the area. It's a great example of how hard work, improved quality, and selling into the specialty coffee industry can drastically improve a farmer's income and overall lifestyle. We are very proud to have Don Henry & Tanya's coffee contribute to our ALWAYS SUNNY coffee annually.
MI FINQUITA
Mi Finquita is a project founded by long-term coffee professionals and coffee producers Ratibor Hartmann and his wife Tessie. Ratibor is one of the siblings of Finca Hartmann, so coffee is practically in his blood. His answer to the opportunity of the growing specialty coffee sector and the increasing demand of customers for specially produced lots of coffee was the project of Mi Finquita. Using their contacts to other coffee producers and smaller farms and their knowledge of coffee production and processing Ratibor and Tessie process and help produce coffees from a handful of farms and sell them under the brand "Mi Finquita" which means "My small farm".
In november 2020 Jason, Thom, and Graham visited the farm for 4 days. On our stay we developed an understanding of how connected the Hartmanns are to nature and the beauty of the Panamanian volcanic country. Tessie was a gracious host and we were honoured to stay right on the farm with them. We will never forget their hospitality. We also will never forget their coffee. Unbelievably vibrant and fruit forward. Their coffee stands alone.
The farms are located in and around Los Pozos, in the Chiriquí Province of Panama, between 1.650- 1.900 meters. They currently produce varietals like Caturra, Bourbon and Geisha. The climate is mild tropical with temperature as low as 4°C at night and sometimes even frost and ice. The annual averages are 18 degrees C during the day, 15 degrees C during the morning and a maximum of 26 degrees C in the afternoons during the summer.
ISRAEL RAMIREZ
The Los Ramirez group from Selguapa, sold its coffee in cherry from 1985 — 2018 unaware of the potential value of their coffee.
Over the past few years with some help from critical partnerships, Israel has taken the initiative to process and sell his coffee as specialty grade. Game changer! This espresso is very chocolatey and sweet