Past Offerings

We are always pleased when we can acquire coffees from Bolivia, a hidden gem in South America with elevations that lend themselves to beautiful fruity natural processed coffees. Juan Jose (Juanjo) and his wife Lidia are second generation coffee producers from the Kantutani region of Caranvi process who have made coffee farming a whole family affair. Together with their children they often work 14 to 16 hour days during the height of harvest season at Finca Phauchinta, managing all of the steps necessary to produce quality coffee. Selectively harvesting only the ripest cherries they control the pulping and washing and drying process with a keen eye for details. They dry the parchment to 12% on raised beds under solar tents before shipment to a climate controlled storage warehouse in La Paz. This particular one bag lot that we got our hands on was grown by Lidia, who placed 13th in the 2020 Cafe Presidencial competition with a similar coffee.

We are always pleased when we can acquire coffees from Bolivia, a hidden gem in South America with elevations that lend themselves to beautiful fruity natural processed coffees. Juan Jose (Juanjo) and his wife Lidia are second generation coffee producers from the Kantutani region of Caranvi process who have made coffee farming a whole family affair. Together with their children they often work 14 to 16 hour days during the height of harvest season at Finca Phauchinta, managing all of the steps necessary to produce quality coffee. Selectively harvesting only the ripest cherries they control the pulping and washing and drying process with a keen eye for details. They dry the parchment to 12% on raised beds under solar tents before shipment to a climate controlled storage warehouse in La Paz.

Clemente Mamani is new to coffee cultivation. He started out working for Juanjo Machiao and his natural curiosity led him to establish his own 100 hectare farm in Caranavi, where most of Bolivia's coffee is grown. He planted red and yellow Catuai and Icatu with his wife and son and has been steadily increasing his knowledge base and coffee quality. This is the first year that he has offered his coffee under his own farm name and we are pleased to be able to offer it to you. Samples are limited so reach out to us if you’re curious. 

Bernardino Aliaga Torque and his wife Francisca learned the art of growing coffee from their parents and on their farm of 11 hectares their whole family is intimately involved in every aspect of production from cultivation to processing. Each year their success has allowed them to expand their yields and offer even more delicious coffee to market. They use raised drying beds for their natural processed coffees and operate with meticulous control of their fermentation and drying periods, yielding a delightful coffee full of flavors ranging from citrus to chocolate to champagne. Though they are not certified (cost is a real issue for small farmers) they operate using organic practices on their farm. 

You know it, we know it, so let’s just say it, spot pickups are a thing. The current market is, as they say, volatile.  Shipping delays and port strikes add their own fun calculus to the equations of buying coffee and sometimes you need coffee to make up for something that is stuck in shipping purgatory. From time to time we’ll have to pick up a small position to cover us until the main containers arrive.  When we do have access to the provenance information we’ll post it as diligently as we can.  Rest assured we assiduously cupped all the offers we could find before purchasing a coffee and offering it to you. It’s important to us that if you buy a 17/18 SSFC Brazil, it’s going to cup out the way its supposed to and be useful for the exact things it should be useful for to experienced roasters. We’ll do the legwork so you don’t have to and can just ask us to get it to your dock.

Grupo Veloso has been producing coffees for over 50 years in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil. As a family company they are dedicated to many projects throughout their region focused on improving their community.  These range from conservation efforts aimed towards preserving ecosystems and reforestation, to educational initiatives to bring computer rooms and access to local schools. We purchase this spec for customers looking for consistency and repeatability throughout the year regardless of season all the various members the Veloso family more than deliver.  This Cerrado NY ⅔ 17/18 SSFC delivers a classic Brazilian profile that serves be a versatile tool for every roaster.

Danilo Mesquita Andrade runs a tight ship and has always prioritized environmental, social and economic sustainability.  From utilizing GPS to mark and open planting furrows to his drip irrigation systems to the optical sorters that separate ripe cherries from immature ones, technology and agronomic knowhow are a cornerstone of the success of these coffees.  This coffee offers a surprising sweetness and clarity alongside hallmark Brazilian traits like nutty/cocoa and citrus fruit notes and we will continue to look for operations like Terra Nova in the future so we can offer their expertise to you.  The beans are fermented using an isolated yeast which is found in coffee itself, guaranteeing  a better consistency of sensorial profile from one harvest to the next. With this technology the coffees are usually more floral, fruity and 'exotic' and the controlled fermentation can be done right after harvesting or with depulped beans.

Hellison Afonso da Silva has been growing Cup of Excellence quality coffees for years. In 2015 he scored one of the highest ever cups in the Brazil cup of Excellence. This natural processed yellow catuai bears the mark of his trademark practices as well as takes advantage of the near perfect drying conditions. He harvests by hand, only picking the ripest cherries and after has pulped the dried cherries lets the parchment rest in special silos for 30 days to equalize the moisture content of his beans. Sitio Baxaidao is always one of our highest scoring Brazils, a testament to Hellison’s commitment to his craft. These particular natural lots were so good at the cupping table that we had clients sign up for them right then and there in Brazil!

When we built our workhorse blends Marchador, Lusitano, and Alter Real we were looking for very specific characteristics, coffees that were good team players for blending, but they could also shine on their own if asked. Over the years these workhorses have delivered for our clients and they've become so popular that we've cupped and searched through A LOT of coffee in search of new partnerships and producers. Brazil is a very very big place, and as we grow into the future it makes sense to grow our relationships with as many quality producers as we can.  This lot of Lusitano 16 + full natural comes from friends near the mountain town of Campestre, in southern Minas Gerais, Fazenda Mantissa.  They have been producing coffees for over 20 years and run a really tight ship, able to produce full natural and pulp natural and even fermented specialty lots with ease. Their harvest is done almost solely by hand by folks from the surrounding region who are paid a good wage to carefully select the ripest cherries.  When cherries arrive at the patio they go through either full natural or pulp natural processing on the patios. Their quality control is overseen at every step of the way by their own internal Q grader to ensure our cup profile requirements were adhered to.  We are excited to add this particular Marchador and Lusitano to our stables.  

Coffee farming is in its fourth or fifth generation on most farms in the Mantiqueira de Minas region. It is comprised of 25 municipalities, that has 8,095 producers, 82% of which are small producers. There is a total of 57,000 hectares dedicated to growing coffee. The coffee being grown in the Mantiqueira de Minas region is, at the same time, traditional and modern. Tradition is refelcted in the coffee through the respect for the ancestors and the land. Modernity can be seen in the coffees evolution of rare and suprising beans.

Conilon is a low grown robusta from Brazil. Perfect for folks who want twice the caffeine for half the budget!

We developed this regional select coffee to be an effortless workhorse for our roasters who need reliable Brazilian character but want to strike a balance between nutty and fruity. Clocking in at 60% pulp natural and 40% full natural, this blend works for all the applications you need it to. Even though it's a blend it has power and stamina like it's thoroughbred namesake. This year’s iteration cupped out with strong nougat and caramel in the foreground followed by a tart and tangy finish. Whether you roast for espresso, filter, or cold brew, Alter Real delivers the hits.