Coffee Growers

Our main high quality coffee growers

BRAZIL
Brazil has been the world's largest producer of coffee for more than 150 years. Currently, Brazil grows around one-third of the world's coffee, although in the past its market share was as high as eighty per cent. Coffee was introduced to Brazil from French Guiana in 1727, while Brazil was still under Portuguese rule.

TASTE PROFILE
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Better Brazilian coffees tend to be low in acidity, heavy in body and sweet, often with chocolate and nutty flavours.
 
TRACEABILITY
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High-quality Brazilian coffees are usually traceable down to a specific farm (fazenda), whereas the lower-quality coffees are bulk lots and not traceable.

 

COLOMBIA

Coffee was probably first introduced to Colombia in 1723 by the Jesuits, though there are inevitably different accounts. It spread slowly as a commercial crop to various regions of the country, but its production did not become significant until the end of the 19th century. By 1912, coffee made up approximately fifty per cent of Colombia's total exports.

 

 

TASTE PROFILE

Colombian coffees have a huge range of flavours, from the heavier, chocolatier coffees through to jam my, sweet, fruity lots. A huge spectrum of flavours exists across the regions.

 

TRACEABILITY

As part of the promotion of Colombian coffee, the FNC created the terms 'Supremo' and 'Excelso'. These terms relate only to the size of the bean, and it is important to understand that they have no relation to quality. Unfortunately this classification obscures any traceability as coffee marketed this way may come from many, many farms and be blended before being sieved mechanically to the necessary sizing grade. Essentially this is generic coffee, and its naming offers no help when trying to buy quality. The speciality coffee section of the industry has been working to maintain traceability, so when looking for something incredibly enjoyable, make sure the beans come from a distinct place, rather than just being a certain size.

 

 

GUATEMALA

Many believe that coffee was first introduced to Guatemala by the Jesuits around 1750, though there are accounts of it being grown and served in the country in 17 47. As in El Salvador, coffee only became an important crop in Guatemala after 1856, when the invention of chemical dyes reduced demand for indigo, which was at that time the main cash crop.

 

 

TASTE PROFILE

A wide range of flavours are present in Guatemala's coffees, from lighter, very sweet, fruity and complex coffees through to the heavier, richer and more chocolatey cups.

 

TRACEABILITY

Guatemalan coffees should be traceable down to farm level, or down to a cooperative or producer group. While some regions in Guatemala are now protected denominations of origin, the country has a long history of traceability and estates producing high-quality coffee because many farmers have their own wet mills and process their own coffee.

 

 

HONDURAS

Since it is now the largest producer of coffee in Central America, it is surprising how little is known about the introduction of coffee to Honduras. What is probably the earliest record, dated to 1804, discusses the quality of the coffee produced there. This dates the arrival of coffee to before 1799, as the plants would take a few years to produce a crop.

 

TASTE PROFILE

A range of different flavours are found in Honduran coffees, but the best often have a complex fruity quality, and a lively, juicy acidity.

TRACEABILITY

It is possible to get high levels of traceability in Honduras, down to estate level or down to a specific cooperative or producer group.

 

 

NICARAGUA

Coffee was first brought to Nicaragua by Catholic Missionaries in 1790 and initially it was grown as something of a curiosity. It was not until around 1840 that it gained economic significance in response to an increasing global demand for coffee. The first commercial plantations appeared around Managua.

TASTE PROFILE

A range of flavours are found in Nicaraguan coffees. They are typically quite complex and capable of pleasing fruit-like flavours and clean acidity.

TRACEABILITY

You should be able to find coffees traceable down to single estates, or to producer groups or cooperatives.

 

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Many people would associate Papua New Guinea's coffees with those from Indonesia, but it would be unfair to do so. Papua New Guinea rightly stands apart and the eastern half of New Guinea shares relatively little with neighbouring Papua when it comes to coffee.

TASTE PROFILE

Great coffees from Papua New Guinea often have a buttery quality, great sweetness and wonderful complexity.

 

TRACEABILITY

Several large estates still operate very successfully, so it is possible to find coffees from a single estate. There is not a long history of traceability, and in the past some farms were acquiring coffee from other producers to pass off as their own. The idea of coffee being sold by region is also relatively new. However, the altitude and soils in the country offer great potential for quality, so there has been renewed interest from the speciality market in the last few years. Look out for coffees traceable to a specific estate or a group of producers.

 

 

PERU

Coffee was first brought to Peru between 17 40 and 1760, at a time when the Viceroyalty of Peru covered a larger area than the country does today. Although the climate was well suited to large-scale coffee production, all coffee grown in the first hundred years or so was consumed locally. The first exports of coffee, to Germany and England, did not begin until 1887

TASTE PROFILE

Typically Peruvian coffees have been clean but a little soft and flat. They are sweet and relatively heavy bodied but not very complex. Increasingly, they are distinctive and juicier coffees becoming available.