NB This coffee is newly released but not from the most recent harvest (landing now). It isn't showing any fade/age in the cup yet but we've discounted it to make sure we move it all before it does.
Honey, yellow nectarine and lime.
Washing Station: Shakiso
Country: Ethiopia
Zone: Guji
Region: Sidama
Elevation: 2,000 masl
Varieties: Landrace varieties and JARC 74110, 74112, 74158
Processing: Washed
Sourced Through: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
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This lot is made up of coffees grown and processed in the ‘kebele’ (town or village) of Anosoro, in the ‘woreda’ (administrative district) of Shakiso, in Ethiopia’s Guji Zone. The coffee was processed at Gemeda Elias Washing Station, which is operated by Tracon Trading. This family-owned exporting company also manage quality control at the washing station, and prepare the resulting parchment for export at an impressive dry mill facility in Addis Ababa. The washing station is owned by Mr. Gemeda Elias, himself a successful CoE-winning coffee grower, who works closely with Tracon to produce both washed and natural coffees.
During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by some 850 local coffee growers, before being processed under the watchful eye of washing station manager, Gemeda Abdi. The majority of the families who contributed to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, averaging just 2.6 hectares in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 1,900–2,100m above sea level – and this, combined region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile.
About Tracon Trading
Established by Mr. Omer Ali Shifaw in 2008, Tracon Trading PLC is a leading exporting company involved in a number of industries in Ethiopia, including construction, real estate, freight and coffee. The family-owned company own a number of coffee farms and washing stations in Ethiopia’s producing regions, along with a state-of-the-art dry mill and storage facility in Addis Ababa, where quality control is overseen by Adbuhay Hassen. Here, up to 6 tonnes of coffee are dry milled per hour, with conveyor belt assited hand-sorting and Buhler Z+ colour sorters used to further improve the quality of the coffee processed.
Tracon is committed to improving conditions for the communities surrounding their farms and washing stations. Not only are all employees paid above market rates, but farmers can access advance payments for their contributed cherries, as well as educational and training materials. The company has also constructed gravel roads to their washing stations, improving accessibility for contributing farmers and workers alike.
About the Varieties
This coffee is a mix of native or “landrace” varieties and JARC varieties.
For many years, most Ethiopian coffees have been described as being a mix of cultivated and wild varieties, referred to as “heirloom varieties.” This is a term that is all-encompassing and used by many actors in the coffee industry to generally categorise Ethiopian coffee varieties that are from native forest origins. Whilst this describes many of the varieties found in Ethiopia, it is also a bit simplistic and does not acknowledge the varieties that are already locally recognised and cultivated, or those that have been specifically developed and widely distributed by the Jimma Agricultural Research Centre (JARC).
Sidama is home to many landrace varieties that were originally selected from the forest and have been propagated successfully for decades. There are five popular varieties that are named after indigenous trees in the area— Bedessa, Kudhumi, Mique, Sawe and Wolisho. There is little documentation on the history of these varieties, and it is hard to know if they represent a single plant or a wider group of varieties; however, it is widely accepted that they play a major role in the quality and floral flavour profile of the coffee from this region. Along with these, JARC varieties were developed using “mother trees” from Ethiopia’s coffee forests, and are now grown for disease and pest resistance, as well as exceptional cup profile, and are released by number. For example, 74110, 74112 and 74116 are all widely propagated in the Sidama growing region.
About the Processing
This coffee has been processed using the washed method. It is classified as Grade 1, the highest quality classification for Ethiopian coffees, indicating a great deal of effort has been put into the selection and grading during processing.
Each day, carefully picked coffee cherries are delivered to the washing station and are meticulously sorted by hand and in a floatation tank prior to processing to remove unripe, overripe, or damaged fruit, in order to enhance the quality and sweetness of the cup.
After sorting, the coffee cherries are pulped to remove the fruit and skin and graded by weight; heavier beans are of superior quality and deliver a sweeter cup. Once graded, the parchment-covered coffee is soaked in tanks of clean water for 36–48 hours to remove the mucilage (sticky fruit pulp) by allowing it to ferment and detach from the coffee.
The coffee is then re-washed and graded again by density in washing channels and soaked in clean water for 12 hours.
How This Coffee Was Sourced
Since 2018, regulation changes within the Ethiopian coffee industry have allowed smallholder producers and coffee washing stations to export coffee directly to the international market, rather than through the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX). While the ECX has provided stability and opportunity for many Ethiopian coffee farmers, it does not service the specialty market well, as there is an inherent lack of transparency and traceability in its auction model, and more points for potential corruption or confusion between the producing communities and the final buyer.
The recent changes enable a more streamlined coffee supply chain and provide an opportunity for the increased traceability and transparency of coffee trade in Ethiopia. Beyond this, producers who market and trade their coffee directly can access higher prices and more direct payments for their coffees. All of the coffee MCM purchase in Ethiopia is bought outside of the ECX system.
This coffee was sourced through MCM's on-the-ground Ethiopian supply partner, Sucafina Ethiopia, who help connect us to single estates, privately owned washing stations and quality-focused exporters in different regions of Ethiopia. Based in Addis Ababa, Sucafina Ethiopia work as a service provider connecting local farmers and exporters (colloquially known as ‘shippers’) with international buyers like MCM. By Ethiopian law, they (and other foreign-owned entities) are not permitted to buy cherries directly, or to own washing stations or mills; however, their expertise is invaluable in coordinating multiple shippers, ensuring quality standards are met and handling all logistics in the preparation and local transport of MCM's coffees. Through their shared commitment to responsible sourcing practices, quality and traceability, MCM have been connected to likeminded shippers, like Tracon, who work to produce delicious and consistent coffees while running social programs that directly and meaningfully support coffee farmers and their families.
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30% Monte Cristo Estate
Producer: Medina Family
Region: Veracruz
Country: Honduras
Processing: Fully Washed
Decaffeination: Mountain Water Process
Elevation: 1,050 masl
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai Rojo y Amarillo, Java, Marcelleza, Etiozar, Anacafe 14
Sourced Through: Langdon Coffee Merchants
70% Jairo Arcilla
Producer: Jairo Arcilla
Region: Santa Monica, Quindio
Country: Colombia
Processing: Natural
Decaffeination: Water-Natural Ethyl Acetate Method
Elevation: 1,400masl
Varieties: Pink bourbon
Sourced Through: Cofinet
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About Monte Cristo Estate
Hacienda Monte Cristo Estate is a family-run, coffee-producing farm since 1916 in Western Honduras, very close to the borders of Guatemala. The farm lies in the fertile valleys of the Mayan Mountains. It is 15km from the provincial capital of Santa Rosa de Copan, in the municipality of Veracruz. The Medina family have been running this farm for over five generations!
Coffee here is meticulously grown using environmentally friendly practices and a lot of care is taken during the milling and drying processes. To facilitate this, the farm has increased its solar drying area to accommodate larger volumes while maintaining quality control.
This lot is mechanically pulped, leaving around 4.5% of mucilage (sticky fruit). It is fermented anaerobically, then washed and rinsed. The coffee is then dried on patios for 40 hours, then on elevated beds for 7-15 days, and finally machine dried for 25 hours.
About the Mountain Water Process
This lot was decaffeinated at the Descamex factory in Mexico. Descamex uses processes free of any chemicals. Coffee processed in this plant is organic and processed with the mountain waters that flow from the tip of Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. Each batch of green coffee is soaked in water until the soluble components seep out of the beans. The caffeine-extracted fluid is passed through a filter that extracts the caffeine from this solution. The coffee to be decaffeinated is then rehydrated and placed in the tank under optimal temperatures, vacuum, and pressures for the caffeine to be extracted. This solution then combines the crystal-clear waters of Pico de Orizaba and imparts the flavour and top notes that identify a coffee and its origin. After the extraction, the beans are triple-dried before being polished and physically and chemically analysed for remaining caffeine.
Decaffeinated coffee from Descamex reads between 0.020% to a maximum of 0.10%(g/100g) or about 99.9% caffeine free.
About Jairo Arcila
Jairo Arcila is a third-generation coffee grower from Quindio, Colombia. He is married to Luz Helena Salazar and they have two children together, Carlos and Felipe Arcila, who are the co- founders of Cofinet. Jairo’s first job was at Colombia’s second-largest exporter, working as their Mill Manager for over 40 years until his retirement in 2019. Jairo bought his first coffee farm, Finca La Esmeralda, in 1987 and this is where he planted his first Caturra lot. He was fortunate enough to earn money by producing coffee on his farm in addition to working full time.
Using his savings, Jairo slowly managed to purchase five additional farms. After Esmeralda came Villarazo, Mazatlan, Santa Monica, Maracay and then Buenos Aires. During the harvest period, Jairo is able to provide a number of jobs to locals which has a significant economic impact on their community
Jairo has received great advice and guidance from his sons who are now experts in producing Specialty Coffee. With their help, Jairo has greatly improved the picking, sorting, and processing of his coffees. His sons have also guided Jairo in the production of exotic varieties. He now grows varieties like Pink Bourbon, Java, Papayo ,and Gesha growing across all his farms. The guidance from his sons has empowered Jairo and given him the tools needed to produce fantastic coffees with amazing flavour profiles.
Besides coffee, Jairo also grows other agricultural products on his farms such as mandarin, orange, plantain, and banana. Jairo enjoys starting the day with a really good breakfast! But most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his family.
This coffee was carefully hand-picked in order to select only the ripest cherries and then hand-sorted to remove any defects. The coffee was sundried on raised beds in temperature- controlled conditions until the ideal moisture content is achieved. This decaffeination process is unique. The caffeine is extracted from the bean using sugar cane and water which enhances sweetness while maintaining coffee attributes. This micro-lot is 100% Pink Bourbon. This varietal is currently under research in order to determine its origin. It is said that it is a mutation that took place at 2100 m.a.s.l in San Adolfo, Huila.
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Farm: Resplendor
Country: Brazil
Region: Chapada de Minas
Altitude: 900 - 1,000 masl
Variety: Icatu
Processing: Pulped Natural
Farmer: Gustavo Nunes
Sourced Through: Southland Merchants
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Resplendor Farm is a producer of specialty coffee located in the heart of Chapada de Minas region, between the municipalities of Agua Boa and Capelinha. It began in the 1970’s when Mr. Walter Palmeiras and Mr. Alair Campos came from Machado, south of Minas Gerais, to the city of Capelinha. They have since brought several other growers to the region, which has allowed the development of it, generating well distributed, higher incomes.
In 2005, Mr João Felisberto de Miranda took the responsibility for the farm, starting a cycle of changes there. In 2009, Gustavo Vieira de Carvalho was invited to become a partner with him, bringing morse techniques and strong experience in administration. Joao Miranda and Gustavo de Carvalho are from two different generations but both carry on in the tradition of their families, whom are endlessly passionate about coffee production.
It was in the Southwest of Minas Gerais state that they started this partnership for the construction of a new chapter in their story; they became principal actors in the transformation of the Vale do Jequitinhonha region. This region combines the natural advantages of the microclimate of Brazil with constant investments in planting technologies, post-harvest techniques and in the drying process of pulped coffee.
Furthermore they have well integrated logistics with warehouses from their own group, which guarantees access to export markets with a constant volume, being able to withstand crop failures. Resplendor Farm has 600 hectares of coffee planted and it is managed with the latest techniques and production concepts. In this way, the plantation is self-sustaining.
They also have a strong social responsibility on the farm with its employees and surrounding communities, along with their farming practices and the environment. The farm has both UTZ and Rainforest Alliance certification, a sustainable agriculture norm, which they endeavoured to acquire in order to meet the challenges they set themselves. Gustavo Vieira owns the Geral Super Safra warehouse, located in the South of Minas Gerais. There all the selection, distribution and storage is done.
Joao and Gustavo believe strongly in the way they choose to operate, as they do in Resplendor Farm and in the Geral Super Safra warehouse, always seeking to achieve excellent performance and deliver the best coffee possible.
NB: If you remember Carmela's coffee from previous seasons please be aware this harvest has a substantially different flavour profile. It doesn't posses the intense winey quality of previous years and is much cleaner (but with subdued fruit as well).
Plum, toffee apple and wine gums
Farm: Carmelita
Country: Bolivia
Province: Caranavi
Colony: Copacabana
Elevation: 1,600–1,650 masl
Variety: Caturra, Catuaí
Processing: Natural
Producer: Carmela Aduviri
Sourced Through: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
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The inhabitants of Copacabana first began farming coffee around 35 years ago. Farms here are small and traditional. Almost all work is carried out by the farm's owners and their extended families, with a handful of temporary workers taken on to help out during harvest. All of the producers at Copacabana were born into the Aymara, an ancient indigenous group which lived on the Altiplano (a vast plateau of the central Andes that stretches from southern Peru to Bolivia and into northern Chile and Argentina). The region was known for the world’s highest lake, called Titicaca, and when their families moved to Caranavi, they named their ‘colony’, or settlement, Copacabana.
Carmela has worked in coffee for fourty years while raising eight children. Her farm, “Carmelita”, is about 2 hectares in size, and is located at an altitude of 1,400 to 1,550 metres above sea level. Today Carmela manages the farm with her son, and together they have worked incredibly hard on improving and producing the best quality coffee they can. They grow a mix of Caturra and Catuaí variety trees on their farm, which grow in a rich clay soil under the protective shade of native forest trees, whose heavy leaf fall creates a natural mulch fertiliser, and whose canopy provides an important habitat for the many bird and insect species in the area.
The families who live in Copacabana, including the Aduviri family, used to depend on the local market to sell their coffee, meaning low prices and little reliability. Now they selectively pick their coffee cherries and are able to sell their top-grade coffees for substantially higher prices to MCM's partners at Agricafe, which processes specialty lots at its Buena Vista wet mill which is located in Caranavi.
The first of its kind in the country, the Sol de la Manaña program is aimed at sharing knowledge and technical assistance with local producers to create better quality coffees in higher quantities. By doing so Agricafe hopes that coffee production can be a viable and sustainable crop for producers, like Carmela, in the region for many years to come.
After the coffee was delivered, it was placed into a floatation tank and all floaters were removed. The whole cherries were then dried on on raised beds in the sun and turned turned regularly to ensure it dried evenly. The drying was then finished off at a very low temperature in a stationary drier. The coffee was then transported to La Paz where it was rested, and then milled at the Rodriguez family’s brand new dry mill. At the mill, the coffee was carefully screened again by machines and also by hand to remove any defects.
Carmela worked hard to collect and process the cherries for this special micro lot and carefully hand polished all of the cherries before delivering them to the mill! A whole lot of love and hard work has gone into this coffee.. we hope you enjoy it!
Read about the Sol de la Mañana program here and Pedro Rodgriguez here and about Bolivian coffee more generally here.
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N.B. We have discounted this coffee, not because it is showing any fading/age, but because it has been more than 2 weeks from the roast date.
We believe it still taste great.
(4-6 weeks post-roast is our personal preference for light roasts
to account for degassing)
Chocolate coated oranges, yellow peach and loquat
Producer: Diego Baraona
Region: Tecapa Chimaneca, Usulutan
Country: El Salvador
Processing: CM Natural
Elevation: 1300 - 1600 masl
Variety: Sudan Rume
Sourced By: Project Origin
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About Los Pirineos:
Located atop the Tecapa volcano mountain range between the towns of Berlin and Santiago de Maria, Los Pirineos is named for its similarity to the Pyrenees mountain range that separates France and Spain, and beholds the most spectacular views in all directions. Coffee has been produced at this farm by the Baraona family for over 130 years, with the original plants and shade trees imported from Antigua, Guatemala. The farm has the largest private seed bank collection in El Salvador, with seeds and plants from more than 80 varietals. Currently, the main varietals of coffee grown are bourbon, typica, pacas and pacamara. In this most recent harvest, Diego Baraona was able to harvest and process additional varietals that he and Gilberto planted five years ago, including SL 28, harrar and sudan rume.
Los Pirineos has achieved great success at numerous auction programs and competitions, but it has also been long recognised by exporters, buyers and cuppers as producing some of the highest quality coffees in El Salvador. The team and family at Los Pirineos take great care to maintain clean equipment, ensuring quality processing from beginning to end, and remain current with their processing, de-pulping and drying techniques. Since 2017, Project Origin have worked with Los Pirineos to implement a number of experimental processing techniques including the carbonic maceration processing.
To their advantage, the Los Pirineos farm features a man-made plateau overlooking the Tecapa volcano where extensive drying beds stretch to allow for the drying of a variety of processed coffees. This plateau means the drying beans get an entire days’ worth of sunlight, and the westerly winds ensure even and consistent drying. There is a lot to love and admire about the Baraona family and Los Pirineos, and we may never tire of showcasing their work.
Processing Details:
1. Cherries picked ripe and dark red at 20-22º Brix separated by sections of the farm.
2. Cherries are floated to separate low-density cherries.
3. Cherries are fermented at an ambient temperature in tank flushed with CO2 for a short fermentation time to develop fruit flavours of pineapple, peach and nectarine.
4. Cherries were dried under shade for 25 days o Moisture content reduced to 10-12%.
5. Beans are stored in dried cherry pods until milling for export.
6. Many years ago, Gilberto planted Sudan Rume and told Project Origin this would one day make one of his finest coffees. Since 2020, we have proudly presented the truth of that statement and honoured Gilberto’s legacy, sharing this variety with our processing techniques, expertly managed by his son, Diego.
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Region: Jambi
Cup of Excellence 2022
Rank: 19
Score: 87.35
Cup of Excellence: These coffees have each been cupped a minimum of five different times during the cupping process. The winning lots are the top 30 coffees that scored above an 87 by the Cup of Excellence Global Coffee Centers.
National Winners: The National Winner lots are coffees scoring 85+ points during the International Phase by the Cup of Excellence National Jury and International Jury. These coffees have each been cupped a minimum of five different times during the cupping process.
Hear from Irwandi here:
"I am Irwandi, I know coffee from 2016. and started to enter the post-harvest process in 2017, why did I get into the world of coffee because, coffee is a source of economic income for me and my family, besides that processing coffee is also fun for me. My hope for the world of coffee is that the price of coffee will get better and more stable, the market will be wider and more open, we as farmers can be more enthusiastic and confident that coffee is a sufficient and sustainable income for us."