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Colombia: New Projects, Familiar Faces
Hear more about the new coffee buying operation in San Antonio, Inzá
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Ethiopia Beshasha School Project in Agaro
A University prep school in rural Agaro Ethiopia, funded by the premiums paid for coffee to 3 coops: Duromina, Biftu Gudina and Hunda Oli
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Podcast Episode #24: Kafa in the Morning, Ethiopia
Tom's thoughts and various experiences from his recent travels in Kafa, Ethiopia, near the town of Bonga.
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Sweet Maria's Supports Doctors Without Borders
Sweet Maria's is supporting Doctors Without Borders throughout September
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Podcast Episode #22 - Burundi Conversation with Alistair Sequeira - Part 2
Part 2 of 2 - Continuing the talk about the coffee supply chain and other topics
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Podcast Episode #21 - Burundi Conversation with Alistair Sequeira - Part 1
Part 1 of 2 - Talking about the coffee supply chain among other topics
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Podcast Episodes 19 & 20: Kenya Coffee: Growing, Trading and Marketing
A while back we had Mary Maina Manyeki visit us in Oakland, and had a great conversation about her experiences as a Kenya coffee farmer.
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Podcast: Coffee and Microorganisms with Leo and Jenni Henao: Los Palomos, Colombia
Another great insight into coffee and how Leo and Jenni Henao incorporate microorganisms into the process of farming great coffee.
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Podcast: Indonesian Coffee with Coffee Trader, Daniel Shewmaker
Tom and David chat about the Indonesian coffee trade.
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Kenya - Samuel Kabuye, just 76 years at Karagoto mill
Another great trip to Kenya, to see the amazing system from the small cooperative farmer, to the factory (what they call a coffee mill), to the dry mill and preparing coffee for export.
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Dolok Sanggul, Lake Toba, Sumatra
Green unripe coffee cherry from Dolok Sanggul area of Lintong, Sumatra.
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Early morning Ethiopia
It's way, way too early to be awake, but it's way too hard to sleep. The problem with traveling to Africa or Indonesia is you are totally flipped, time-zone wise. Nothing seems right, and I am not especially good with time zone changes. I brought this second hand book with me, The Devil's Cup, a coffee travelogue with lots of neat information (not all of it accurate - is Harar where Robusta "evolved" into Arabica coffee? I don't think so). Along with mistakes, there's the general swashbuckling traveler narrative; dusty roads, broken-down trains, sweaty street-side cafes, bitter coffee. Ironically, I have been to most of the places this guy has, but I didn't arrive on an Eritrean smuggler's boat, or hitchhiking in the back of a cargo truck. I flew, and quite nicely. It's not like Addis, or Harar, or Dire Dawa, or Sana'a are that difficult to reach; in fact on Emirates airline I had a massaging seat and more movies than my cable at home! It's just that it takes time that many people don't have. But that doesn't make for a great "coffee adventure story". I guess you have to read the book to know what I am talking about, but I have a very different impulse when it comes to a great trip like this. I think it is good enough as it is, no need to dress it up. The facts are plenty interesting, not enough to sell books, but certainly to those already interested in coffee. That's my 5 am thought; I will cup here in Addis again today, checking out new lots as they start to come in to the warehouses from the micro-regions. And if today is like the first day's cupping, things should be great this season!