Traceability - every coffee has a story
How often do
we think about the people who are involved in growing, harvesting, processing
and packing the products (including coffee) that we consume? With the
technology that is available to us, we should be able to find out at least some
details of where the goods we consume come from.
Coffee farms
(estates) are often family businesses, which are handed down from parents to
their children. Every coffee estate has a story of how they first began to grow
coffee on that farm, hillside, mountain, or even in a jungle! I place a high
value on knowing some details about every estate from which I am sourcing a new
coffee. In many cases, I am able to learn the grower’s name and see their
photo. The photo accompanying this article is of Luiz Zanetti who manages the
Serra e Leite estate in Brazil (my current Brazilian single origin offering). Wherever
possible, you will see details of farm locations and owners listed on my
website.
As consumers
of coffee we should ask our coffee roasters and cafes where the coffee comes
from. If they simply say something like Brazil, ask them where in Brazil.
Brazil is a large country and a large producer of coffee! A traceable coffee
means that the supplier should be able to provide the name of the coffee estate
where that coffee was grown, or at least the company that works with the coffee
estate in the production and quality control of their coffee. One of the
markers of a good specialty coffee roaster or café is that they can provide
specific information about the origins of the coffees they serve you.
Micro-climate - every coffee is unique
Every lot of
coffee is unique and its properties will be affected by very specific elements
of the environment in which it was grown (this concept, referred to as terroir,
is most well known in the winemaking industry). Large farms that produce top quality
specialty grade coffee will have multiple coffee lots. When the farmers pick
the coffee beans, they will keep each lot separate so that its unique qualities
will not be lost. For example, one lot may be grown in a more shaded area while
another might grown in full sun and drier soil. A specialty coffee
estate will also separate their coffees by sub-species, known as varietal.
In many parts
of the world, coffee plants are grown interwoven with other crops – such as
chilli plants, bananas and other natural crops. In other cases, the coffee
plantation has retained some of the natural environment. For example, my
Guatemalan San Antonio coffee is grown on a farm of 80 hectares, of which 5
hectares is natural forest. My
newest coffee is the El Salvador La Esperanza Tablon El Moises. At the top of
this estate is almost 10 hectares of wild and untouched forest. The coffee
trees on this farm are grown in harmony with Ingas trees, eucalyptus trees,
cedar trees and others. This is referred to as a shade grown coffee, as the
coffee trees grow lower to the ground under the canopy of the other trees. The
excellent qualities of this coffee are therefore shaped by this terroir – shade
grown, surrounded by wild forest and at high altitude (1000m up to 1600m).
By leaving some untouched forest on their coffee estate,
or growing the coffee intermingled with other crops, these growers are also implementing
sustainable farming practices. A bio-diverse farm protects native flora and
fauna and prevents the land from being stripped of all its nutrients. I choose
coffees from farms that show consideration for the environment and seek to grow
their coffees with care and respect for both the land and the particular coffee
varietals that they grow.
Fair wages – every grower deserves more than our
spare change
Growing,
picking and processing coffee is a physically demanding job. There are many
hardworking people involved before you and I are able to enjoy our daily cup of
coffee! We need to think about, respect, and provide a good wage for all the
people involved. I am proud to source my coffees from importers who work
directly with coffee farmers and ensure that good wages are paid. One example
is Latorre & Dutch Coffee Traders (who provide two of my current bean
offerings). “Latorre & Dutch pay at least 40 to 50 cents a pound above
market price. This is more than double the Fair Trade Premium, the price paid
by Fairtrade International organisations to certified coffee farmers. When the
lots are substantially higher in quality, Latorre & Dutch pay anywhere from
80 to 300 cents above market prices” (BeanScene Magazine August 2012, page 44).
To put it frankly, if you are drinking dirt cheap coffee, at least one person
in the producing country has been screwed over! I’m excited to provide coffee
beans that are premium quality and that see their producers being able to
flourish and hopefully hand on a successful and sustainable coffee estate to
their future generations.
