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Williamsburg Coffee & Tea Company 888 / 565 - 1400
Sustainable Coffee Has These Attributes:
Farm Direct or Co-Op Direct Trade - Personal Relationships From Farmer To Roaster To Consumer
Environmentally Responsible - Natural Farming Practices, Organically Grown, Rainforest Alliance Support
Ethically Responsible - Economically Sustainable, Fairly Traded, Advancing Community Projects
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In The Cupping Lab
Click on the image to the left to find out what coffees are on the cupping table in our lab.
Or, scroll down to see the coffees that we have selected for roasting.
We always encourage and welcome our wholesale customers to come cup coffee with us. It is a great way to keep connected to both the wonderful diversity of sustainable coffee and to the reason why you chose to be a part of this industry.
Wholesale customers who have taken our Cupping Calibration Class are welcome to come and be a part of the sample evaluation and green coffee purchase process.
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South America
A fun class that we offer to our customers is SBSC211: Comparative Cupping - South American Coffees where we set the cupping table with coffees from different regions inside the same country and growing zone so that they can experience the impact of micro-climate on flavor.
For Example:
Brazil: Bob-O-Link / Fazenda Sao Francisco / Santos
Colombia: Don Rigo Estate / Bucaramanga / Medellin
Peru: Co-Op Arm
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Brazil: Bob-O-Link
Our Next Container Shipment From Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza Is Due To Arrive In The Last Week Of July Or The First Week Of August!
The mission of Bob-O-Link Coffee is to be a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable association of small family farms growing outstanding coffee and award winning micro lots.
This model sows the seeds of sustainability to the individual, the family, the business community and to society as a whole. In short, Bob-O-Link coffee links people with farmers who grow coffee in harmony with nature.
We travel to Mococa, Sao Paulo Brazil to establish these personal relationships with the farmers so we can bring their coffee directly to you. Williamsburg Coffee and Tea started purchasing from this farmering group several years ago and have been so impressed by the quality of coffee, the integrity of their sustainability, and the warmth of their hospitality that we are committed to them for the long term.
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Brazil: Fazenda Sao Francisco
Our Next Container Shipment From Fazenda Sao Francisco Is Due To Arrive The Early To Mid August!
Fazenda Sao Francisco is located in the Alta Mogiana Region of Brazil's Sao Paulo State. When we travel to Brazil we stay in the family's home on the farm and the hospitality of the Almeida family is second only to the lovely coffee that Nilton de Almeida grows.
Sao Francisco coffee has a rich flavor with wonderful chocolaty and nutty flavor notes. The relationship that has been forged between Williamsburg Coffee and Tea and Nilton de Almeida has grown over the years. Now Nilton has a large enough group of mid sized craft roasters that he can process his crop as a single farm offering rather than having his crop blended in with other quality farmers and marketed under the name of the cooperative.
Nilton's care in farming and cultivating long term sustainable relationships have been the reasons for his success and we are proud to be a part of it.
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Brazil: Bourbon Santos
Brazil is the giant in the coffee growing world. As you travel around Brazil you will be amazed by the diversity of flavors. For more distinct flavors we recommend one of our Direct Trade Coffees like the Bob-O-Link Farmers or Fazenda Sao Francisco. However, if you are looking for a well balanced, smooth, slightly nutty, slightly chocolaty, well rounded coffee then start with Brazil Bourbon Santos.
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Colombia: Don Rigo Estate
Don Rigo Estate Coffee is a single origin, single farm, and single varietal coffee. Don Rigo farms the coffee varietal known as Caturra. Caturra coffee is ideal for altitudes of 1,600 to 1,900 meters (4,900 to 6,200 feet above sea level) when the focus of the farm is on quality and not quantity. At these altitudes the coffee yield per tree decreases allowing the coffee tree to more fully develop the existing coffee cherries.
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Colombia: Bucaramanga
There are two main regions of coffee production in Colombia. The first is made up of the 3 micro-regions of Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales. If you are buying from a specific farm or small Co-Op your roaster should know the specific micro-region. If the coffee is from a much larger regional mill then it will be identified as M.A.M. Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales is in Colombia's central region. The second is made up of the 2 micro-regions of Bogotá and Bucaramanga. They are in Colombia's eastern mountainous region.
Bogotá is less acidic than Medellín, but retains a similar richness and brightness. Bucaramanga is milder, but often with a heavier body and rich a flavor reminiscent of some Indonesian coffees.
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Colombia: Medellin
There are two main regions of coffee production in Colombia. The first is made up of the 3 micro-regions of Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales. If you are buying from a specific farm or small Co-Op your roaster should know the specific micro-region. If the coffee is from a much larger regional mill then it will be identified as M.A.M. Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales is in Colombia's central region. The second is made up of the 2 micro-regions of Bogotá and Bucaramanga. They are in Colombia's eastern mountainous region.
Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales coffees are known for their heavy body, rich flavor, and relatively high acidity.
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Peru: Co-Op ARM
Co-Op ARM ,Cooperativa de Productores Agropecuarios Rodriguez de Mendoza, is a coffee cooperative located in the Amazonas region of northeastern Peru. Co-Op ARM was founded in 1990 by a small group of coffee farmers who hoped to achieve a higher standard of living by working together and converting to more sustainable farming practices. Before this time they received extremely low prices for their coffee.
Since becoming Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified in 1998, the Co-Op has been able to export all of its coffee directly instead of through a third party. ver the years they have continually improved their environmental stewardship, the quality of life in their community, and the quality of their harvests.
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Central America
A fun class that we offer to our customers is SBSC212: Comparative Cupping - Central American Coffees where we set the cupping table with coffees from different countries inside the same growing zone so that they can experience the impact of the micro-climate on flavor. Central America offers the unique ability to compare and contrast the impact of a Pacific Ocean orientation versus an Atlantic Ocean orientation on micro climate.
For Example:
Guatemala: Antigua / Huehuetenango / Atitlan
Costa Rica: Tarrazu / Naranjo / Tres Rios
Nicaragua: Matagalpa
Occaisionally we will also evaluate coffees from Honduras, El Salvador and Panama.
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Cost Rica: Naranjo Cattleya Especial
This cooperative in Costa Rica has continuously improved the quality control process and now owns the mill where they process their coffee.
A large part of their Rainforest Alliance mission is to educate their neighboring farmers about why sustainable farming is so vital to their ecosystem.
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Guatemala: Antigua
Guatemala has several wonderful growing regions. We will routinely evaluate coffees from Antigua, Atitlan, Huehuetenango, and Fraijanes.
This lovely Antigua comes from Santa Rosa. It is grown in a high mountain valley approximately 5,200 feet above sea level and is surrounded by 3 volcanoes. This region is
has a nearly perfect climate for cultivating coffee. Guatemalan Antigua coffee is described as having a full and velvety body, a rich and lively aroma, and a fine acidity. Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuai coffee beans are grown in this region and harvested between January and mid-March.
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Guatemala: Huehuetenango
Guatemala has several wonderful growing regions. We will routinely evaluate coffees from Antigua, Atitlan, Huehuetenango, and Fraijanes.
This region crosses the Cardillera de Los Cuchamatanes with regions higher than 11,800 feet above sea level, however, this coffee is grown at an elevation near 5,100 feet by a certified organic and fair trade cooperative. It is located on the border with Mexico and the dry, hot winds from the Tehuantepec plain in Mexico protect the region from frost and create its unique microclimate. This subtropical and humid climate contributes to the coffee beans' beautiful appearance and uniform maturation. The flowering is uniform and consistent which results in a winey, high-quality cup. In Huehuetenango multiple single origin varietals are grown. Harvesting takes place from January to April.
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Nicaragua: Selva Negra Maragojipe Micro-Lot
Maragojipe (pronounced "Mara-go-hee-pay") is a distinct cultivar of Arabica coffee. It is called the "elephant bean" for its incredibly large size.
The unique cup characteristics of this coffee are due to the tree producing fewer cherries which concentrates the flavors. The aromatics are more floral with citric highlights than other Nicaraguan coffees. The body is light, delicate, and subtly woody.
We are so fond of this micro lot coffee from Selva Negra that we travel to Matagalpa, Nicaragua to purchase Mausi & Eddy Kuhl’s entire harvest of Maragojipe.
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Nicaragua: Selva Negra Premium SHG
We are proud to count Mausi and Eddy's farm as one of our Direct Trade Relationships. The hospitality on the farm is warm and welcoming. The traveling troop of howler monkeys makes for an impressive alarm clock. The Selva Negra Coffee Estate in Matagalpa, Nicaragua is a model for sustainability in the coffee industry.
Environmentally: Rainforest Alliance Certified in 1997, Organic Certified in 2005, Smithsonian Migratory Bird Friendly Certified in 2011. "Off The Grid" via on farm hydro-electric and bio-methane.
Socially: On farm primary school with pathways to higher education and generational advancement. Children who grew up on the farm have gone on to complete their farm sponsored higher educations and return to run the infirmary and the metal shop. On farm housing and farm food service operations are available for the workers. The farm is self sustaining with fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, beef and pork.
This is just the short list of Mausi and Eddy's accomplishments, not to mention the outstanding coffee that they grow.
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Mexico: Water Process Decaf
Finca las Nieves is a 1,000 acre coffee farm located in the Oaxacan cloud forest above Puerto Escondido at an elevation of 4,000 feet. Like many historic coffee farms in the Oaxaca Chatino region, Finca Las Nieves had fallen into neglect, abandoned because it would have cost more to harvest the beans than the price they would have fetched on the market. However, the demand for sustainability from mid size coffee roasters and their customers enabled the farm to be reestablished and thrive. Their focus on natural farming practices and biodiversity has recreated the secondary forests necessary for shade grown, migratory bird friendly coffee.
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Indonesia
A fun class that we offer to our customers is SBSC213: Comparative Cupping - Indonesian Coffees where we set the cupping table with coffees from different countries inside the same growing zone so that they can experience the impact of the micro-climate on flavor. Indonesia offers the wide variety of flavors with a reasonably consistent micro climate.
For Example:
Sumatra: Grade 1 / Triple Picked
Java: Estate Grown
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Sumatra: Lintong Triple Picked
Our Sumatra Lintong is Triple Picked. Triple picking provides extra scrutiny on the sorting and grading phases. The photo to the left is of a Small Lot Holder Lintong farmer picking her coffee. She is weaing the traditional headdress of the Batak people.
Lintong coffees are grown in a relatively small region just southwest of Lake Toba in the Kecamatan or district of Lintongnihuta. Small plots of coffee are scattered over a high, undulating plateau of fern-covered clay. The coffee is grown without shade, but also without chemicals of any kind, and almost entirely by small holders.
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Africa
A fun class that we offer to our customers is SBSC214: Comparative Cupping - African Coffees where we set the cupping table with coffees from different countries inside the same growing zone so that they can experience the impact of the micro-climate on flavor. Africa is the birthplace of coffee and some of the world's most sought after coffee comes from here.
For Example:
Ethiopia: Yirgacheffe
Rwanda: Co-Op AC
Kenya Muburi
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Ethiopia: Yirgacheffe
This coffee is produced by the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU). Due to its incredible quality, certified fair trade and certified organic contributions, this coffee comes at a premium. However, the Co-Op uses the premium prices it receives for its coffee to build schools, provide college scholarships, and purchase school uniforms for children.
Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (YCFCU) was formed in 2002 as an association of 23 local cooperatives, who had formerly sold exclusively to local coffee boards. Located in Gedeo in southern Ethiopia, the co-op farms over 62,000 hectares in one of the most famous growing regions of the country. After 17 years (1977-1993) in a socialist-oriented coffee business, the cooperatives reorganized as the economy liberalized in 1993.
Since their establishment, most cooperatives have been engaged in coffee production and supply to the local market. YCFCU was given special permission to bypass the Central Auction by the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority to export directly to international buyers.
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Kenya: Muburi
Our shipment from Keny is due to arrive the third week of July.
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Rwanda: Co-Op AC
This 100% Arabica, naturally grown coffee, comes from the Coopérative pour la Promotion des Activitiés Café or Co-Op AC in the Rubavu/Rutsiro region of Rwanda. Co-Op AC was formed to provide an agricultural community a pathway to prosperity via sustainable farming. They have been asking the Specialty Coffee Community a simple question, "How can we continue to make our coffee more valuable to you?" This continuous improvement mentally has culminated in Co-Op AC winning the 2010 Rwanda Cup of Excellence competition.
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Tanzania: Ruvumma
Tanzania’s Mbeya region produces some of the finest arabica coffees of East Africa, but processing has always been a problem. Prior to The Hope Project, smallholder coffee had always been processed at home by the farmers. Many farmers lacked the water or processing equipment to really bring out the best in their coffee so the quality varied greatly. The inconsistent quality had a severe adverse effect on the prices that they could command in the market.
The Hope Project solved this problem by setting up 23 coffee washing and drying stations (pulperies) in the heart of the region. Water is plentiful at the pulperies, the equipment is efficient and the quality is both consistent and excellent.
The Hope Project ensures that farmers benefit from premium prices for their high quality coffee by paying a price which is proportionally higher than the market price they would otherwise achieve. The Hope Project also makes a second quality-related payment to farmers after cupping and grading their harvest.
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Zimbabwe: Leopard Forest
Political instability and a crazy coffee market have complicated my friends ability to get their coffee to the domestic U.S. market in the past. The crop that is underway now, however, is looking to be their best yet. If all goes well we expect to have a container clear in December.
My friend’s farm is located in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. These mountains which separate the steaming plains of Mozambique from the sweeping high veldt of Zimbabwe have the high rainfall, mists and mild climate that make its growing conditions as near as possible to those of the Kenyan highlands.
Rob and Ildi's farm has produced superior coffee since 1965, achieved by combining the best Kenyan varieties with sustainable farming methods. Over the years their coffee has won national and international awards for its quality. Much of their coffee is shade grown, which produces wonderful coffee and preserves the habitats of numerous rare species.
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