top of page
OUR PRODUCERS
We source the highest quality beans from sustainable and organic growers. We support farmers in building a better quality of life for their families and communities.
By choosing our coffee you’re also supporting farmers to fight the challenges they face, from low and unpredictable incomes to supply chain issues, lack of agricultural infrastructure & geopolitical unrest.
From farm to cup, we do everything we can to have a positive impact on people and our world.
Alto del Obispo San Agustin Huila
Whilst Huila is naturally blessed with optimal coffee growing geography, the key to great quality coffees from the areas around San Agustin (such as this lot) are the growers themselves. Coffee farming within the region is overwhelmingly small-scale. Indeed, approximately 80% of producers from the region farm coffee on less than 3 hectares of land. These small farms are tended by individual families with labour only rarely being contracted out, which leads to more thorough and intensive management practices and great pride in the final product – which is, itself, an extension of the family.
Whilst Huila is naturally blessed with optimal coffee growing geography, the key to great quality coffees from the areas around San Agustin (such as this lot) are the growers themselves. Coffee farming within the region is overwhelmingly small-scale. Indeed, approximately 80% of producers from the region farm coffee on less than 3 hectares of land. These small farms are tended by individual families with labour only rarely being contracted out, which leads to more thorough and intensive management practices and great pride in the final product – which is, itself, an extension of the family.
Alto del Obispo lies just to the south of San Agustin, possessing stunning views across the valley to the hillslopes across. A primary exporting partner for this Huila lot has partnered with local farmers in the green hills surrounding San Agustin and the nearby town of Pitalito for over 25 years. Together they have pioneered the commercialization of specialty coffee throughout the region, resulting in some stunning coffees from this area of optimal natural conditions for coffee farming. This has included the establishment of the ‘Club San Agustin’, which identifies the 50 top quality producers via an annual cupping competition. This competition, over the years, has resulted in strong direct relationships and sourcing from individual farmers, including the provision of technical services for improved agricultural practices with a strong focus on cup quality. In support of their efforts, ‘Club Agustin’ producers receive year round technical assistance, including soil analysis, and receive help in processing recommendations, including guidance in drying processes and wet mill maintenance.
These producers are a carefully selected group of smallholders who understand strict quality standards and are fully committed to producing and delivering their best coffees. Among these producers, we can find several participants in and some winners of COE competitions. A most recent example of one is a long-term ‘Club’ participant, Alirio Aguilera who’s Finca San Isidro won 1st place in 2013’s Cup of Excellence competition.
Finca El Hato
As people travel from Guatemala to El Salvador, views of vast swathes of trees and farms pass by. Just off the side of the freeway sits Finca El Hato, a delicate and beautiful farm nestled in the hills just outside of the bustling capital.
Verena de Rasch owns El Hato and has utilized her love for trees and exotic plants to surround the coffee trees with a native jungle of plants. The farm was first established in 1938, when its original owner, Enrique Topke, began spreading coffee in this region, in addition to raising cattle in his open fields. Enrique’s family still work on the farm and experienced the devastation of Coffee Leaf Rust in 2018, when roughly 60% of the farm’s crop was lost to the disease.
Donas do Cafe
Translating to mean “the women owners of coffee,” this coffee is a conglomeration of four extraordinary female producer lots in South of Minas, Brazil. The presence of females in the coffee-producing realm has grown exponentially over the last few years in Brazil. Gathered by an exporter: SMC, Donas do Café is an exceptional collection of truly unique coffee throughout the South of Minas region in Brazil.
These lots were selected via the “Especialíssimo” program that also works with the Cooxupé Cooperative to select top lots. The Donas producers are esteemed for the work and dedication allocated to the farm and coffee trees. Thanks to technical assistance from visiting agronomists, these producers were able to cultivate each tree with proper care and knowledge.
SMC works to inform producers via live broadcasts and meetings to facilitate the spread of knowledge to producers. From here, the SMC staff maintain communication to ensure producers understand the necessary tasks at hand with producing high quality coffee. Relationships are then negotiated and created between the female producers and potential clients throughout the world.
El Retiro Quisaya
Coffee first arrived in Guatemala in the 18th century with Jesuits to the monasteries of Antigua. Estates began to spread over the following 150 years, primarily owned by European colonists. The country gained independence in 1821, and coffee production soared, making Guatemala an important coffee producer. The Agrarian Reform Law was passed in 1952, redistributing the land of 1,700 estates to nearly 500,000 locals and indigenous peoples. However, a civil war ensued for 36 years, hindering coffee production.
Soon, coffee regained its prominence, and Guatemala is now home to some exceptional coffees. A quarter of the population are in some way involved with growing or processing coffee. Near the town of Jilotepeque in the Chimaltenango region, is the expansive farm of Finca El Retiro del Quisaya.
The farm was established 100 years ago by the Ortega family and was recently sold to the Arabigos del Sur organization. The name of the farm comes from a river that runs within the land.
During the harvest, the cherries are carefully handpicked and delivered to the mill located on the farm. After sorting, the cherries are pulped with an eco-pulper to remove the external fruit and fermented in aerobic tanks for 14 hours. The beans are then washed and put through a centrifuge machine to remove any remaining mucilage. They are then dispersed on patios to dry in the open sun for ten days.
bottom of page