By Nanelle Newbom The temperature drops and the colors change as you drive up to the Apaneca and Concepcion de Ataco region of El Salvador. It’s not a difficult drive, in fact it’s named the Ruta de Las Flores, and it’s about as harsh as the name. Sure, San Salvador may be the murder Capitol […]
By Nanelle Newbom Three Drops of Honey. That’s all it takes to pick perfectly ripe coffees. Rodrigo Dumont demonstrates by squeezing that prized sweet liquor onto the palm of his hand from the gorgeous orange bourbon cherry he has selected. Orange Bourbon, especially from Malacara B, holds a special place in my heart. Since my earliest years […]
By Nanelle Newbom The slender young man leaned in through the driver side window. Gilberto Baraona had waved him over for a quick word. “You guys gotta make a stop, I need a few things.” Notepad in hand, “Ok, what are we getting?” “The driver knows.” Suspicious look. “Ok, grab me 2 grams of cocaine, […]
Finca San Antonio – Turning A New Leaf in Coffee Sourcing, The Finer Details of Coffee / By Nanelle Newbom You just don’t find this sort of thing any more. Over the last decade the barriers to direct trade have lowered. Thanks to many pioneers from all sectors of the green coffee business, most importers have simple processes in place to […]
“In a market so closely tied to the “C price”, the solution is for the farmers to spend less and produce more.” -Molly Laverty, Sustainability Manager – Farmer Brothers Coffee After scooping my jaw off the floor, I paused to give what Ms Laverty said consideration. Its easy to have a knee jerk reaction. Rather than […]
Medellin And there is better coffee in them thar hills than I knew I’m always wide eyed and a little too interested in every place I go. Its a habit, whether good or bad. I fall in love too easily, over and over again. On this particular trip Bogota was a too much for my […]
Catherine Murphy Mwangata, like many of the ladies present at the International Women’s Coffee Alliance conference, doesn’t mince words “It seems to me there is an awful lot being done to hold farmers accountable for sustainability but there’s a whole other question when it comes around to the other side of the table” Her thick Irish […]
What is the IWCA and what do they do? This week I will have the great honor of learning much more about that, and about how to promote prosperity and equality, as I head off to Bogota Colombia to attend the 2015 International Women’s Coffee Alliance event, which will occur alongside Expoespeciales. I might even […]
Dry processed coffee can save water. When water is used in coffee processing there is also the question of its affect on the environment when released. Coopchebi is working on solutions that fit for them, and the surrounding area. “We are adding two hectares of African Beds located up higher on the hill. We will […]
“We aren’t really sure what El Nino will do this year, but resistance to Nematodes as well as La Roya is important” Farmers in Peru have to adapt to a changing climate, and the better ones are also proactive. In some environments they have to think about stocking varieties that are going to survive as […]