Country: Kenya
Region: Nyeri County, Central Region
Altitude: 1,650 ~ 1,800 masl
Variety: SL28 & SL34
Processing: CM Washed
Producer : Aguthi Farmer's Co-operative Society

Sourced Through: Project Origin

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Green coffee beans grown and produced within the Nyeri County develop and mature slowly, producing extra-hard beans that are full of flavour and character. For this reason we partnered with the Thageini washing station to create our first Kenyan CM Selections coffees back in 2017 and have been working with them ever since. We source washed, natural, peaberry and CM Selections coffees from Thageini and are inspired by the local team’s dedication to quality. The Thageini mill is one of four wet mills that make up the Aguthi Farmer’s Co-operative Society. It is home to the second largest number of member producers, hosting 350 men and 100 women members out of the 2000 total members that are part of this Society. Once the wet milling and drying is complete at the Thageini mill, the parchment or dried cherry pods are delivered to the Sagana Coffee dry mill for de-hulling, grading and preparation for export.

Project Origin is a company that uses green coffee beans to empower people, so together we can change the world we see.

Throughout our history we have met hundreds of extraordinary people from all over the world. We have supplied roasters and baristas with a substantial variety of coffees, invested in dozens of community projects that improve the livelihoods of individuals and communities, and developed new processing techniques that can both build better economic sustainability for producers and offer consumers a whole new range of flavour experiences. All of these accomplishments have been possible thanks to the heart and mind of our founder, Saša Šestić, and by how he responded to that question.

“Can you try a sample of my family’s coffee?” When Pathy Kasiviswanathan first visited Saša at the ONA headquarters in 2010, he simply wanted a review on his family’s coffees to help him begin a wholesale trade of green beans in Australia. Thalanar Estate is a coffee producing farm in South India that sold its beans as a commodity product to the local mill, meaning the beans were mixed with a range of other green beans from other farms, and no-one really knew where it ended up. Saša agreed to try the samples, and when he did, he considered the coffees to taste perhaps better than the Indian coffee he was currently using. This was a positive tasting – but to Saša’s surprise, Pathy had never before tasted these coffees himself! In fact, no one at the farm knew what it was they were producing. Saša and ONA coffee were already buying coffees directly from some producers, but this opportunity saw the potential to invest in more than direct trade green beans.

Farm: Engenho
Country: Brazil
Region: Mantiqueira de minas
Altitude: 1100 masl
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Natural
Farmer: Jose Ronaldo Junqueira Dias

Sourced Through: Southland Merchants

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In the heart of Brazil, the 240-hectare Engenho Farm is a testament to the Carneiro family's commitment to producing exceptional coffee. Acquired in 1954, the farm has been nurtured through generations, landing in the capable hands of José Ronaldo, a coffee enthusiast and skilled heart surgeon. Despite his medical pursuits, José Ronaldo manages the farm with the same passion and precision that define its legacy. Engenho stands out due to its strategic location. The region experiences a well-defined dry season, crucial for coffee harvesting. The unique combination of altitude, topography, and soil composition creates an ideal environment for the slow maturation of coffee beans, resulting in distinctive flavours.

Diverse Coffee Varieties:
Cultivating a variety of coffee types—Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Catuaí, Acaiá, Icatu, and Catucaí—Engenho chooses each for specific traits suited to local conditions. This diversity ensures a resilient crop, resistant to diseases, and bursting with distinct flavors.

Sustainability in Action:

Engenho isn't just about coffee; it's about environmental care. Fenced water mines and ongoing tree planting showcase the farm's commitment to sustainability. This dedication extends to the community's well-being, with initiatives like assisting in employee transportation.

The Coffee Processing Journey:
Engenho's coffee processing is a meticulously crafted journey. From natural to pulped natural, washed to natural fermented, the beans undergo careful processing on patios and mechanical dryers.

About Southland Merchants

Nadia and Andre are Brazilian, passionate coffee lovers, partners in business and life and the founders and owners of Southland Merchants. They met in 2002 in a casual setting and instantly felt connected. Within a year, they established their first company and fell in love. Life in Brazil was great; they love the country and its people, the lifestyle and being with their families but they could not let go of the urge to venture out into the world and explore new places. Eventually they decided to embark on an adventure and to move overseas with their three girls. They wanted to find a place that would offer a bright future for their children, allow them to meet a new culture and learn another language. After a lot of research, they realised Australia would be the ideal destination. In 2017 Australia became their new home and in the same year they arrived they founded Southland Merchants. The company supplies Australian roasters with delicious Brazilian green coffee, full of stories and passion, and connects them back to their roots.

Farm:  Vinhal
Country: Brazil
Region: Cerrado Mineiro
Altitude: 980 masl
Variety: Topazio, Yellow Catuai & Icatu
Processing: Anaerobic Natural Fermentation
Farmer: Rafael Vinhal
Sourced Through: Southland Merchants

- the process that the component experiences suddenly changed thermal stresses

and strains of large magnitude when the heat flux and component temperature gradient change abruptly -

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Since 1988 Vinhal Farm has been producing very high quality coffees in the heart of Minas Gerais state, in Cerrado Mineiro Region - Brazil. Throughout this trajectory they have improved their work and adopted the best sustainability practices and respect for people and the environment. They are a family running a business and everyone who works in the farm is absolutely passionate about their coffee.

Their properties are certified by Rainforest Alliance, 4C and Certifica Minas. With great care and relying on innovative craft production, they do their best to ensure that their coffees stand out both in the domestic and foreign markets, and they are very proud of all the awards they have already won in some of the main quality contests in Brazil.

Sustainability and Quality are their main focuses - their properties (Recanto Farm and Estrela Farm) have three different independent certifications, two of them international: the Rainforest Alliance, with headquarters in the USA, and the 4C Common Code of the Coffee Community, from Germany; and one of them, national: Certifica Minas, ran by Minas Gerais state.

To achieve and maintain these certifications, they need to comply with a series of standards regarding issues such as: environmental conservation and sustainable production, good social practices and working conditions, an efficient management and control system for the entire production chain and, of course, full compliance with all current legislation. Thus, they periodically receive audits on farms to validate the fulfillment of more than 100 evaluation criteria.

About Southland Merchants

Nadia and Andre are Brazilian, passionate coffee lovers, partners in business and life and the founders and owners of Southland Merchants. They met in 2002 in a casual setting and instantly felt connected. Within a year, they established their first company and fell in love. Life in Brazil was great; they love the country and its people, the lifestyle and being with their families but they could not let go of the urge to venture out into the world and explore new places. Eventually they decided to embark on an adventure and to move overseas with their three girls. They wanted to find a place that would offer a bright future for their children, allow them to meet a new culture and learn another language. After a lot of research, they realised Australia would be the ideal destination. In 2017 Australia became their new home and in the same year they arrived they founded Southland Merchants. The company supplies Australian roasters with delicious Brazilian green coffee, full of stories and passion, and connects them back to their roots.