Ever stop to think about all the variables that factor into creating a distinct, complex, clean and consistent regional blend? It is mind boggling if you think about terroir to processing and everything in between. And what about the human factor from farm management all the way through to brewing. But if you think about it, the backbone of Colombian offerings are regional blends cultivated in many parts on small family owned farms. It’s hard to pinpoint why some regional blends rise to the top each year but it sure is exciting when they do. This traceable community blend with a vibrant regional profile comes from an association of 22 producers with small farms in the municipality of Rovira within the department of Tolima. Each producer has their own micro-mill where they carefully harvest cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and gently dry the parchment on raised beds. Imagine the harmony between these producers in farm management and post-harvest practices to achieve a clean and consistent blend. But also just enough differences from farm to farm to create a rich complexity of flavors. And then imaging all the crucial logistical demands for things like warehousing and milling coffee for export before this coffee reached the international market.

ETHIOPIA SIDAMO 4 FTO NATURAL OROMIA is sourced from family owned farms organized around the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative (OCFCU), an umbrella organization established 1999 to support a sustainable coffee supply from cooperatives in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. OCFCU supports 274 cooperatives with more than 250,000 farmer-members, accounting for sixty-five percent of Ethiopia’s total coffee production. Premiums from coffee exports are returned directly to farmers, and also fund organic farming programs, mill equipment purchases, and food security programs. OCFCU has established a central cupping lab to support quality control and a members’ bank that provides pre-harvest financing.