Roaster’s tasting notes: caramel | watermelon | nuts

Huye Mountain coffee was started by David Rubanzangabo in 2012, working with 500 local smallholder farmers over a total farmed area of 28 hectares. A veteran of the Rwandan coffee industry since 1998, David has used his experience to improve the inherent quality and sustainability of the supply chain. Practically this has been achieved through shared training and micro-loans for farmers to invest in equipment, water supply and agricultural inputs.

Huye Mountain now work with over 1,300 farmers and have performed well in national awards such as the Cup of Excellence. They offer tours of the coffee journey at David and Family coffee, and extended wonderful hospitality to us on our visit.

Ripe cherries are carefully selected - first by hand and then by floatation. The cherries are then dried in the sun on raised African beds for 3-4 weeks.

REGION: Huye District

PRODUCER: Small holder farmers/David and Family Mill

PROCESS: Natural

ALTITUDE: 1900-2100 masl

VARIETAL: Bourbon

Roaster’s tasting notes: chocolate | stone fruit | caramel

Another delicious coffee from Colombia! Well rounded & full bodied.

This coffee is produced by Racafe, first established in coffee in 1953, they have not sat back as they’ve grown! In 2018 they milled their first coffee using a solar energy powered thresher in their facility in Huila. They have further created CRECER, their internal sustainability program to further push progression across the industry and amongst their farmers.

The Crecer Fund was introduced in 2020 as Racafe’s internal sustainability standard with the aim of conserving both biodiversity of the environment and the communities who live and cultivate coffee within those environments.

The project is funded through a premium added to the coffee Racafe sells to DR Wakefield - our importer of this coffee. This money is kept separate and used to support the participating farmers and producers in a number of ways. Crecer is primarily focused at farmer level, looking how best to assist farmers in sustainable practices which will help them protect the future of their farm and livelihood, as well as increasing the quality of their coffee. Having recently provided composting solutions, the project is now looking at funding drying beds and tunnels, to help farmers in wetter seasons and the unpredictable weather patterns they now experience.

Multiple farms in Colombia are part of the Crecer Fund because it is hugely beneficial for them in ensuring longevity. The coffee is all 100% Arabica, high level grown and excellent quality.

FARM: Racafe

REGION: Central Colombia

PROCESSING: Washed

ALTITUDE: 1200-1850 masl

VARIETAL: Colombia, Castillo, Typica and Caturra

Roaster’s tasing notes: dark chocolate / sticky toffee pudding

Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world. With such diversity, the range of coffee that it produces is vast – from small holder farms to vast estates. Soils, regional climate and temperatures make great growing conditions. However, Brazil lacks altitude – a factor considered crucial for creating the very best flavours expected from Arabica coffee and much of the coffee is grown at or below 1000m above sea level, much lower than the typical 1400 – 1800 masl that can be found in many other coffee producing nations.

Brazil has worked hard in recent years to promote itself as a sustainable producer, and global attention has forced various legislature through to enforce the protection of indigenous habitats and forestry. Many estates have taken this further and included substantial conservation areas on their estates.

This estate brings us a natural processed arabica coffee, of bourbon and catuai varietals, grown at around 1000 metres above sea level. The coffee is named after the Santos port in Sao Paulo where the coffee is exported.

PRODUCER: COFCO

REGION: Sul de Minas

PROCESSING: Natural

ALTITUDE: 900-1100 masl

VARIETALS: Catuai, Bourbon