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Sunday, July 13, 2008
The biggest known secret in town
I have gotten the requests for coffees via text messaging and email. When the Guatemalan coffees arrive at the end of this month, I will be sending out samples. I am a bit overextended right now trying to juggle several things so pardon the space in emails. With a little help from friends, the project is coming together as I write.
So about those Guatemalan coffees.
Earlier this year, we had an interesting venture organized in Guatemala. The idea was to identify three things: 1. Packaging 2. Sorting 3. Distribution
We wanted to know how to get the packing we wanted, the sorting we desired, at the earliest distribution point where we could still control these factors while having access to a large selection of traceable sources.
That was the idea but it quickly grew into something a bit more complicated. We became pitchmen working to get our brand access in venues which normally only deal in very large volumes. It was a tough sell but we found people willing to listen. Easiest of the three were our sorting requests. While brokers and exporters were either unsure or ambivalent about this request, it really resonated with the mill managers we met. Getting milling to better than a specialty Grade 1 sort with substantially less defects therein justifying us to call it a 'Grade Zero.' After about the third place we visited, we had a clearer idea of how distribution works, how receipts are tracked, who makes decisions, and what the demand is currently on the system. We came across the most interesting idea that sounds stupid simple. There are a lot of great coffees that go through channels we will never see. There are also so many exceptional coffees mixed in large blends that disappear, roasted into oblivion. We need to get at some of those coffees and that became a defining goal.
I can't think of a better place than Guatemala for this because of the range in micro climate, consistently high elevation, and clean production methods. For all the great coffees in Guatemala, they suffer one problem. The obsession with profile. Way too many people we met were focused on what the profiles should be when our simple goal was to identify the cleanest, sweetest, most aromatic and distinct. There are plenty of classic mineral acidity Guatemalan coffees though there are also so many more profiles that get blended away or devalued for lack of demand that are coffees I would pay money to have kept separate.
After tables and tables of coffees, and having lots broken down smaller and smaller, we found coffees we were excited about. I had to leave one behind but found an exceptional aromatic coffee with a floral rose tea like character and another that can only be described as sickly sweet, juicy, and strong aromatics and yet both from the same area. In the end, we are likely to have 5 Guatemalan coffees of which none are really similar.
The final bit which was contingent on getting the floral stuff was getting the packaging done. We were hesitant to believe this would happen but after a lot of footwork by Edwin and a bit of luck, we got the sealing together at the last minute. Multiple box designs and time spent testing led to some solid results. They ended up with 19lb vacuum sealed bags in custom cardboard boxes. These are the first coffees exported from Guatemala that are in something other than jute. To which Anacafe gets a big thanks for allowing this to happen and supporting the desire to do this. The result of these efforts is that there is now a way to get vac sealed coffees out of Guatemala be it Cup of Excellence or just something you want to protect.
Work hard to create a demand, do the footwork, and put your money where your mouth is. It may work out or it may not but you have to play it out. I'm happy with how it turned out and I can't wait until the coffees get here. I am already looking at farms to visit, new brokers willing to host, and getting in deeper next year by returning with a larger group of buyers.
I have gotten the requests for coffees via text messaging and email. When the Guatemalan coffees arrive at the end of this month, I will be sending out samples. I am a bit overextended right now trying to juggle several things so pardon the space in emails. With a little help from friends, the project is coming together as I write.
So about those Guatemalan coffees.
Earlier this year, we had an interesting venture organized in Guatemala. The idea was to identify three things: 1. Packaging 2. Sorting 3. Distribution
We wanted to know how to get the packing we wanted, the sorting we desired, at the earliest distribution point where we could still control these factors while having access to a large selection of traceable sources.
That was the idea but it quickly grew into something a bit more complicated. We became pitchmen working to get our brand access in venues which normally only deal in very large volumes. It was a tough sell but we found people willing to listen. Easiest of the three were our sorting requests. While brokers and exporters were either unsure or ambivalent about this request, it really resonated with the mill managers we met. Getting milling to better than a specialty Grade 1 sort with substantially less defects therein justifying us to call it a 'Grade Zero.' After about the third place we visited, we had a clearer idea of how distribution works, how receipts are tracked, who makes decisions, and what the demand is currently on the system. We came across the most interesting idea that sounds stupid simple. There are a lot of great coffees that go through channels we will never see. There are also so many exceptional coffees mixed in large blends that disappear, roasted into oblivion. We need to get at some of those coffees and that became a defining goal.I can't think of a better place than Guatemala for this because of the range in micro climate, consistently high elevation, and clean production methods. For all the great coffees in Guatemala, they suffer one problem. The obsession with profile. Way too many people we met were focused on what the profiles should be when our simple goal was to identify the cleanest, sweetest, most aromatic and distinct. There are plenty of classic mineral acidity Guatemalan coffees though there are also so many more profiles that get blended away or devalued for lack of demand that are coffees I would pay money to have kept separate.After tables and tables of coffees, and having lots broken down smaller and smaller, we found coffees we were excited about. I had to leave one behind but found an exceptional aromatic coffee with a floral rose tea like character and another that can only be described as sickly sweet, juicy, and strong aromatics and yet both from the same area. In the end, we are likely to have 5 Guatemalan coffees of which none are really similar.The final bit which was contingent on getting the floral stuff was getting the packaging done. We were hesitant to believe this would happen but after a lot of footwork by Edwin and a bit of luck, we got the sealing together at the last minute. Multiple box designs and time spent testing led to some solid results. They ended up with 19lb vacuum sealed bags in custom cardboard boxes. These are the first coffees exported from Guatemala that are in something other than jute. To which Anacafe gets a big thanks for allowing this to happen and supporting the desire to do this. The result of these efforts is that there is now a way to get vac sealed coffees out of Guatemala be it Cup of Excellence or just something you want to protect.
Work hard to create a demand, do the footwork, and put your money where your mouth is. It may work out or it may not but you have to play it out. I'm happy with how it turned out and I can't wait until the coffees get here. I am already looking at farms to visit, new brokers willing to host, and getting in deeper next year by returning with a larger group of buyers.
Labels: green quality, green storage, guatemala, guatemalan coffee, sorting, sourcing
¶ Jaime van Schyndel 10:30 AM
Comments:
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Wow. Thanks for sharing, this is really interesting for me (far away from origin, even too far away from readily available great beans).
Congrats...glad to see things are coming together for you, hopefully I can make it out for a hang at some point.
Really interesting post. What really resonates with me is that there are amazing possibilties unexplored because no one has thought to ask or has been willing to pay.
I really hope I get a chance to taste these coffees, ideally subjecting myself rather than them to air travel.
I think what you finish with is also important. We need more buyers, or at least more buying power to make a larger and longer lasting impact on producers and millers ideas and expectations for their coffee.
I'd also like to understand some wider economics of it all - at what point do the higher prices and reduced yields balance out or tip in favour of the producer? How much coffee can be viably produced to these standards? I do love lots of coffe questions!
I really hope I get a chance to taste these coffees, ideally subjecting myself rather than them to air travel.
I think what you finish with is also important. We need more buyers, or at least more buying power to make a larger and longer lasting impact on producers and millers ideas and expectations for their coffee.
I'd also like to understand some wider economics of it all - at what point do the higher prices and reduced yields balance out or tip in favour of the producer? How much coffee can be viably produced to these standards? I do love lots of coffe questions!
Bravo!
Seems like you've been busy. I'd love a taste of these once their in the country. We've already started seeing the incredible coffees Colombia is capable of producing by separating and cupping through tons of tiny lots and discovered coffees with impressive profiles that have in the past just been blended into obscurity. Seeing something similar in Guatemala is an exciting prospect especially with the greater diversity of micro-climates and varietals there. Of course the logistical problems of getting this going on a large scale are huge, but certainly can be tackled if enough people are interested to make it worth peoples while to get such a thing done. At this point in time I would like to think there would be enough roasters willing to support such an undertaking, its just a matter of banding them all together.
I'm hoping for a 100% vak-packed warehouse of coffee by 2010. It seems now almost all the Americas and much of Africa are covered now, just have to work on Indonesia and India now.
Seems like you've been busy. I'd love a taste of these once their in the country. We've already started seeing the incredible coffees Colombia is capable of producing by separating and cupping through tons of tiny lots and discovered coffees with impressive profiles that have in the past just been blended into obscurity. Seeing something similar in Guatemala is an exciting prospect especially with the greater diversity of micro-climates and varietals there. Of course the logistical problems of getting this going on a large scale are huge, but certainly can be tackled if enough people are interested to make it worth peoples while to get such a thing done. At this point in time I would like to think there would be enough roasters willing to support such an undertaking, its just a matter of banding them all together.
I'm hoping for a 100% vak-packed warehouse of coffee by 2010. It seems now almost all the Americas and much of Africa are covered now, just have to work on Indonesia and India now.
Thanks for the comments.
Miguel,
Our goal is to vac seal everything we buy at origin. Given our limited offerings, that may happen by next year.
I hesitate to buy Brasils or Colombia coffees even with the Virimax program. Our buying plan is focused on Kenya, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. We might get one coffee from other regions but we are invested in getting good stuff from these first.
I think the next stage in Guatemala is as you point out, getting more people in and working the system. We had to pick through the coffees carefully. I think next year now that we are more clearly understood with better connections, it will be easier to identify good coffees.
Miguel,
Our goal is to vac seal everything we buy at origin. Given our limited offerings, that may happen by next year.
I hesitate to buy Brasils or Colombia coffees even with the Virimax program. Our buying plan is focused on Kenya, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. We might get one coffee from other regions but we are invested in getting good stuff from these first.
I think the next stage in Guatemala is as you point out, getting more people in and working the system. We had to pick through the coffees carefully. I think next year now that we are more clearly understood with better connections, it will be easier to identify good coffees.
Excellent work and I commend your approach to ensuring quality at all stages of the chain. I hope someday to have the ability to travel to origin but for now I'll have to enjoy the great coffees others source for us.
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