Category Archives: From the Road

Guatemala Harvest Report

| April 10, 2013

Roya, also known as leaf rust, or Hemileia vastatrix is a highly contagious fungal disease, fed by moisture and heat, causing rust colored powdery sores to infect leaves of the plant. Eventually, leaves drop, photosynthesis ceases, and death ensues.

It was last November that I received a phone call from Guatemala with news of the increasing prevalence of roya on the farm of our friend, Alex Keller. Increasingly, similar reports have arrived from farms throughout Latin America with the affected range now stretching from Mexico to Peru.

A state of emergency has been declared in Guatemala with official estimates of reduction in export pegged at 15% though many expect the true number to be closer to 30%. The outlook for next year’s harvest is even worse with potential loss of up to nearly half of the harvest. The only ones grinning are the chemical companies, with their sales of potent fungicides soaring. Some conspiracy theorists have pegged these companies as the culprit, purposefully releasing a mutant strain to rake in the profits. This represents an extreme of the numerous explanations to be offered. One thing is for certain however, that increasingly irregular weather patterns have created more ideal conditions for which the fungus to thrive.

Our Farm Direct mainstay over the years, Finca Nuevo Vinas, hails from a certified organic farm. While many farms with the required capital have been spraying fungicide to keep it under control, organic farms face a much steeper challenge. Always a tireless experimenter, Alex conducted over 80 separate tests of organic application with hopes he could find a remedy to control the spread of the disease. Still, the most effective combination he devised comes at a hefty cost, and must be applied every 20 days to mirror the life cycle of the roya. If this treatment proves ineffective, there will be little choice other than to sacrifice organic certification and save the farm.

With the tragedy that has hit his farm, among the many others, we feel fortunate to have secured some excellent coffees for the upcoming year. Fresh crop Finca Nuevo Vinas will be returning to our lineup shortly, though Finca Pacamaral’s harvest was so poor that it will not be. In an attempt to find another beautiful coffee to showcase the diversity of profiles in Guatemala, I travelled for the first time to Alta Verapaz, a lushly tropical region situated roughly in the middle of the country.

We arrived in Coban by small airplane, greeted by Luis ‘Wicho’ Valdez, fourth generation farming enthusiast, and gracious host. With the harvest still underway, we set out to his family’s farms, Santa Isabel and San Lorenzo. The climate of this region is drastic, with temperatures reaching freezing at times and humidity hovering above 90%. These conditions, coupled with a precise, highly unique system of processing have yielded a tremendous coffee, replete with flavors of black currant, orange, and melon. We have secured this coffee for upcoming release at which time I will share more about the Valdez family and their impressive coffee.

Sulawesi Travelogue

| March 5, 2013

Late last year I embarked on a whirlwind trip through Papua New Guinea, Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra. Though the whole trip was memorable, my time in Sulawesi was magical. Besides the fact that it is a place of remarkable beauty, culture, and coffee, I also consider it home. Having spent most of my childhood in Sulawesi, I am always thrilled to return.

I arrived with an empty stomach on the first flight of the morning so I asked my host, Darwis, if we could head into Makassar for a bowl of coto before the 8 hour drive to Toraja. One of the awesome things about Indonesia is that practically every town has a unique dish (or two) that it is known for. Makassar – its coto. Here it is :

Coto is made with beef or water buffalo. The broth utilizes rice water for

Traditionally made with water buffalo. A hearty broth with your choice of variety meats. Served with sticky rice steamed in coconut leaves, a spicy fermented soy sambal, and fresh limes.

Satiated, we hit the road. First up the coast through Pare-Pare and then a turn inland and up through the ‘spine’ of South Sulawesi: passing through Enrekang, Makale, and finally arriving in Rantepao late in the night.

The steep rocky hills were a bit much for our ride.

The following two days were spent traversing the windy steep hills north of Rantepao. We set out to meet some of the most respected farmers and producers in Toraja, observing the fascinating system of trade and processing. Coffee is mostly sold at the local markets, in a semi-processed state. Because this coffee hasn’t been completely dried yet, it is of the utmost importance that a close inspection verifies that the coffee is free of mold and fermentation – two common culprits in these humid highlands.

Harvesting ripe cherry

The remaining processing determines a great deal of the flavors in Toraja coffee. Traditionally, the parchment (the layer between seed and fruit) is removed while the coffee is wet and then dried on patios. This process, giling basah (wet-hulling), results in a heavy bodied, earthy, and spicy cup – such as is the case with our delicious Sumatra coffee.

Hand sorting wet-hulled coffee, at the home of a farmer.

There is one producer that has developed a different method of processing, drying the coffee completely before hulling. This is common practice for the washed coffees of Central America and East Africa, but relatively rare in Indonesia. In addition, a painstakingly thorough system of quality control ensures that only the very best coffee makes the grade.

Coffee arrives as wet parchment, measured by the liter. The coffee first must pass a visual inspection.

If the coffee passes the visual inspection, the drying is finished in one sample roaster. After hulling, the second sample roaster roasts the coffee for cupping. After passing the sensory evaluation, the coffee is deliveried to the drying facility.

This is one of the most elaborate systems of coffee process I have ever witnessed. Needless to say, the results are fascinating – a cup with some of the character you might expect for the region: spicy, complex, and heavy, but with a distinct sweetness, brightness, and clarity unusual for Indonesian coffees. We secured the purchase of a fantastic peaberry lot from the height of the harvest which is available now at all Vita locations and online.

Peru La Convención

| January 2, 2013

At the confluence of the Vilcanota and Yanatile rivers, there live a number of coffee-growing communities. Using organic methods, typica and yellow caturra are cultivated in the rich, clay soils. Thanks to the shade requirements of coffee cultivation, the forested area of this lush landscape has been preserved over generations.

Each cherry was distinct. We discovered jasmine-scented typica flowers and yellow caturra blossoms with melon aromas. After harvest, the cherries were pulped, fermented, washed and then sun-dried on solar driers. In a region prone to rain and high humidity, the drying process is the most critical step.

We sat down to a cupping with the farmers who grew this coffee. Their impressive attention to detail showed through in every cup. At that moment, it became clear that this particular coffee was the right fit for Vita!

Buy yours in our shop.

The Dogs of Gayo

| November 2, 2012

Happy Dog Day Friday! Our bean buyer Daniel took some time out of his whirlwind trip to Indonesia to pass along these great photos of the pups he’s met there. Say hello to the dogs of our Farm Direct Gayo friends.

Notes From the Road: PNG YUS

| October 26, 2012

The mist rolls into Yawan.

Our green bean buyer, Daniel, is currently traveling in Papua New Guinea. Here are his latest notes from the road:

Flowers were in bloom everywhere. Next year’s harvest!

As I prepare for the next leg of my journey through the coffee lands of Asia-Pacific, I have a few moments to share a bit of what I’ve witnessed during my second visit to Papua New Guinea and the YUS Conservation Area.

This project is a collaboration between Caffe Vita and the Woodland Park Zoo’s Tree Kangaroo Conservation Project (TKCP), aimed at improving the livelihoods of the farmers of the YUS Conservation Area through quality development and providing a market for their unique coffee. The Conservation Area is the first ever in Papua New Guinea and it protects 180,000 acres of diverse environment including pristine cloud forest that is the habitat of the endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo. The landowners who have pledged this area live in villages along the Yopno, Uruwa, and Som watersheds, with coffee representing their only major source of income. Caffe Vita’s purchase of the highest quality from last year’s crop was the beginning of what we hope to be a long and fruitful relationship that will benefit both conservation and community.

Berau shows us a tree he planted in January.

Though it has only been slightly over a year since my last visit to YUS, the farmers have made significant strides toward improving quality and strengthening the coffee community. Coffee gardens have been cleaned and pruned: seeds planted, shade cover improved, and drainage ditches dug. Knowledge and training has spread from village to village, broadening the high standards of picking, fermenting, and drying that we began to implement last year. Many new solar driers have been built and we have refined the designs further to make them more effective.

A frame for a new solar dier with the farmers of Worin.

A new solar drier.

I was able to spend many hours speaking with the farmers of YUS and motivation is high after the purchase from last year is already having tangible effects throughout the area. Funds from the purchase have been invested in new pulping equipment, solar driers, and most significantly in the education and livelihoods of the future generations of YUS.

Future coffee growers of Mungku.

The past two weeks have been challenging yet rewarding and as I continue on my way towards Indonesia I leave with the knowledge that we have made significant progress towards implementing changes and proposing ideas that will continue to improve quality and strengthen the community of coffee growers of YUS.

Notes from the Road: Papua New Guinea

| October 11, 2012

Creating a stencil for our bags.

Our green bean buyer, Daniel, is currently traveling in Papua New Guinea. Here are his latest notes from the road:

I’ve been in the port city of Lae, Morobe Province for the past three days hastily preparing the first portion of the second harvest from the YUS Conservation Area for export to the United States. While the logistics of transporting and processing coffee are usually challenging, Papua New Guinea takes the prize for being the most difficult. The extremely rugged terrain and lack of infrastructure has lead to the isolation of many peoples, while contributing to the incredible diversity of the country (over 800 distinct languages), is not the most conducive to purchasing the amazing coffees of this land. Small aircraft remain our most viable option to transport the coffee, but the one aviation company that services the airstrips of YUS has not been very helpful to say the least. Fortunately, just yesterday, the remainder of the coffee from Sapmanga has made it out. We have been running all over town, purchasing jute, marking the bags, milling the coffee and finally delivering to the export warehouse. The vessel is due to embark on its journey to the U.S. later this month.

Milling and bagging the coffee.

Unloading the export to warehouse.

Tomorrow morning I will fly into Sapmanga with Benjamin and Dono and spend the following six days hiking to the villages of Gomdan, Mungku, Boksawin, Worin, Toweth, and Yawan to meet with the farmers.

We will keep you updated on Daniel’s travels as he shares photos and stories from this amazing trip.

Postcard From Peru

| September 11, 2012

From the Archives: Farm Direct Trip to Guatemala

| August 20, 2012

Way back in 2009 we documented one of many Farm Direct trips to Guatemala, visiting a 4th generation coffee farm nestled within the lush rainforest and volcanic region of Santa Rosa, Guatemala. The above footage takes you along as we visit an exemplary farm of environmental stewardship and sustainability that clearly shows through from seed to cup.

To taste Guatemala Finca Nuevo Viñas minus the cost of airfare, visit our shop here.

YUS Conservation Harvest 2012

| August 3, 2012

We are pleased to report that the harvest in YUS (Yopno-Uruwa-Som) is well underway and that we have begun making arrangements for transportation of this second shipment. We are eagerly anticipating the improvement in quality that is expected thanks to the construction of new solar driers in the villages of Gomdan, Boksawin, Worin, Towet, and Yawan. Sustainable Livelihoods Coordinator Benjamin Sipa recently checked up on the progress and passed along these photos of the new solar driers.

We will be roasting our final batch from the first harvest soon, so make sure and enjoy it while you can!

Valle de Chanchamayo

| June 14, 2012

Greetings from the high jungle of Central Peru, where the coffee harvest has commenced and will continue towards peak productivity in the coming months. Peru is blessed with some of the most magnificent terrain in all of the world, with the drive from the dry desert Pacific coast traversing snowcapped mountains before descending into the fertile valleys of high jungle and then onward to the sweltering, lush Amazon basin. Peru ranks fifth in the world in Arabica coffee production with its suitable land for cultivation running the length of the eastern slopes of the Andes for thousands of miles. I am currently in the Central growing region of Chanchamayo, and will continue my journey southward in the coming days. Travel here is time consuming; in the days I have been here I’ve likely spent half of my waking time in a car.

Though Peru is a prolific producer of coffee, the farmers and producers of Peru are eager to elevate its reputation for quality. In the coffee industry, Peru is primarily known as an origin that produces a large volume of organic and fair trade certified coffees, with consistently average cup quality. It has satisfied consuming nation’s demand for certification, but has yet to become known for truly remarkable and memorable coffees. This isn’t for lack of suitable land or dedicated farmers, but has more to do with the existing infrastructure and culture of coffee that exists. The incentive for quality has not been provided, when the demand has been primarily for certified coffees destined for blends. Our goal here is to find either a farm or community of farmers whom we can offer a premium on the basis of quality and then collaborate with a mill and exporter who is willing to guide our coffee through to the port and onward to Seattle.

In the Chanchamayo growing region there exist the older estates of Villa Rica, as well as many cooperatives that have been established to supply certified coffees. Though the cooperatives have done much for the community here, they do not appear to have the capacity to work in separating micro-regions of the highest quality and keep these lots separate throughout the milling processes. I have gathered samples and visited some smaller estates in the area that have shown great promise in the early harvest cups I’ve tasted, including one fascinating biodynamic farm with an extraordinary composting system. These are farms that could work directly with Caffe Vita and in the following weeks we will continue to evaluate and consider them as potential partners. For now however, I must continue on to the southern region of La Convencion – the travel from here will take almost two full days.