A Better Way To Coffee
Committed to a sustainable coffee journey.
The Right Approach
If all parts of a supply chain aren’t beneficial to all the people and land involved, then the end product is not sustainable.
We find that the biggest part of achieving this is communication. We often are able to communicate directly to producers, whether that’s face-to-face, via phone, or increasingly, through social media. Being able to ask questions, provide feedback, and commit to being a good purchasing partner is a huge part of building these relationships.
Though we wish visiting all our producing partners was possible, it’s simply not, and we also rely on a wonderful network of importers and exporters to provide us with information we can’t obtain ourselves. We’ve worked with these folks for many years, and choose only to work with those companies that share our values, like Crop to Cup, Los Volcanes, Cafe Imports, Coffee Quest, Clearpath, and many others.
Coffee Is An Exploration
Although we like to think that we do an outstanding job of roasting, the flavors you find in the cup are better attributed to the farmer’s choices in terms of variety, cultivation, harvesting, and processing, as well as the terroir of the farm.
From year to year, the same coffee from the same farm will taste different. Even two neighboring farms with identical varieties and processing methods will produce cups with noticeably different profiles.
We view it as a form of corporate responsibility to allow these unique coffees to shine, and give credit to the farm, cooperative, or community that produced them.
Proud members of the Specialty Coffee Association since 2012.
Proud members of the Specialty Coffee Association since 2012.
Proud members of the Specialty Coffee Association since 2012.
Proud members of the Specialty Coffee Association since 2012.
Why We Visit Farms
Every relationship is about communication. What better way to communicate than to shake someone’s hand and talk face-to-face? Learning about the day-to-day activities of a farm or cooperative helps us make ethical sourcing choices, and allows us to become more involved in the wellbeing of our producer partners and their employees. Traveling also gives us better access to unique, high-quality coffees that often never make it onto an importer’s offering list. In addition, being at origin allows us to work directly with exporters to consolidate purchases and ship more efficiently, passing any savings on to our customers.
Our Roasting Philosophy
While we will always credit a farmer for any incredible coffee we sell, there is quite a bit of work that goes into roasting it. For us, it’s identifying the positive and unique inherent attributes of a particular coffee, then developing a roast profile curve that accentuates those attributes, boosts clarity and sweetness, and essentially allows the coffee to be all that it can be. Every coffee we purchase, whether a full container or a single bag, goes through this extensive profiling process, which includes 10-15 initial roasts, the measurement and tracking of density, moisture activity, etc., and a final cupping for tasting notes before it ever ends up on a shelf for sale. It’s hard work, given the volume of our offering list, but truly a labor of love.
Our roastery has been certified organic by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association since 2014.
Our Coffee Pricing Transparency
We believe in getting the best possible coffees into our customer’s hands at an affordable price. In an era of rising costs and shrinkflation, we work hard to ensure we are efficient with our coffee sourcing, production, packaging, supply chain, and shipping logistics to bring our customers tremendous value. We will be posting the costs associated with all of our coffees to demonstrate our efficiency and our margins relative to the industry’s standards and its leaders.