The purpose of this trip is to capture coffees harvested in September to early November from Huila and Antioquia. Our main priority will be our annual competition in Tarqui where we will cup through the coffees submitted by producers in the area, we have been partnering in this competition for three years now and it is always exciting to see what is coming out of the event. We commit to buying the top 20 lots, and if you are there with us you’ll get the first chance to pick your favourite!
24th-30th Nov: Antioquia
- Sun, 24th Nov – Arrive Medellin
- Mon, 25th Nov – Cup
- Tue, 26th Nov – Visit farms
- Wed, 27th Nov – Cup
- Thu, 28th Nov – Visit farms
- Fri, 29th Nov – Re-cup
- Sat, 30th Nov – depart
30th Nov – 5th Dec: Tarqui Competition
- Sat, 30th Nov – arrive in Pitalito
- Sun, 1st Dec – drive to San Augustin, cup available coffees from outside of Tarqui Cup
- Mon, 2nd Dec – visit selection of producers
- Tue, 3rd Dec – 1st round Tarqui competition
- Wed, 4th Dec – 2nd & final round Tarqui competition, announce winners and party!
- Thu, 5th Dec – depart
Colombia buying trip
We prioritise buying coffees regularly and getting them shipped quick, so a buying trip to Colombia is a great way for you to do the same. You will be able to commit to coffees that you cup while your on the trip, and get dibs on the coffees you like. I will be visiting from 19th November to 3rd December and will cup through coffees from Huila, Antioquia and Tolima from the most recent harvest period. There will be a good range of micro lots from single producers and blends based on regional groups of farmers. Lot sizes can vary from 5-100 bags.
The general price range we are working in is 7-11 usd/kg FOB if you are importing yourself. For SPOT this would be equal to 10-15 usd/kg before volume discounts or for pre-bookings. The benefit of joining us on the trip is that you are able to get an earlier look at the coffees available and commit to buying volumes at a good deal! Aside from making your selection early you can also make your own selection.
Colombian coffees have so much versatility, with there being a wide range of profiles and great qualities these coffees can be used as stand alone filters or espresso coffees. We work both with small producers to cup through their production and keep aside those outstanding lots as well as on some bigger volume blends that are based on grouping the production of farmers in the same area together.
Contact Joanne if you want to join. It is advisable to come for the parts you are interested in, rather than the full two weeks.
Tarqui micro lot competition
We’ve been doing a competition in Tarqui since 2015. We announce the competition for the farmers in advance, so that they can be extra careful when picking and processing the coffee. We set certain parameters that the farmers should fulfil (moisture content, yield factor, lot size, and so on). Then, when all the entered lots have been approved, we gather a panel of professionals and cup and score the coffee blindly (this could be you!).We have set fixed prizes for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th to 10th place, and commit to buying these. For the 1st prize we pay more than three times the standard price per kilo for that region. The high premiums are always appreciated.A competition like this is a way of incentivising farmers and paying them great premiums for great coffees. It also gives us the opportunity to meet and get to know the farmers in that specific area, and explore the true potential there. The farmers also appreciate meeting roasters, it makes them feel connected to their markets, and valued for their hard work and investment.