Saudi Arabian Coffee Opens To The World.

Peter’s trip to Saudi for the CoE Pilot program in January.

Some people may claim that the coffee was overvalued, or that the price paid was simply a marketing ploy for the buyer, and those arguments can be made. However, as I watched coffee producers, families, small kids, grandparents, and everyone else marvel at the prices their coffees were fetching, I understood that a tipping point was happening. For the first time in most of these people’s lives, they saw the real value of their coffee and they saw a way to realize that value. Forever going forward, these coffee producers and their families will think differently about how they grow, process, and most importantly value their coffee.

“The connections that specialty coffee provide”

A few weeks ago, I received a message from Felipe, the agronomist at SMC Cafés - the specialty arm of Cooxupe - if I could answer some questions for an article he was putting together.

The land of coffee. The birthplace of coffee. Where coffee was born. Ethiopia has many monikers, most of which center around coffee. The genus Coffea is indigenous to the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and the surrounding Boma Plateau in southeastern Sudan and Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya, and it is from this small region that all species and cultivars found throughout the world descend. Coffee is part and parcel of Ethiopia, it is in the land, in the blood of the people, in the air, and of course, in the cup.

Last week we sold the last of Alejandro and Cleofe’s coffee, of @cafe.origenes in Cusco, Peru, and sent Luke, the coop manager, a little over $1.60 from every lb of coffee sold who delivered it to them in cash.

Our goal was to get it as close to US$1,000 as possible and well.. we did it!

After a late Friday phone call with Alliance for Coffee Excellence, they asked if I had interest in running the Jury Selection phase for the inaugural Cup of Excellence program in Taiwan. Well, yeah, of course; who wouldn’t!