In previous articles, we’ve extolled the benefits of planning coffee sourcing. Forward contracting when sourcing coffee can help your roastery operation and benefit everyone in the coffee supply chain.
When we think about contracts in coffee, our minds are usually drawn to larger coffee purchases.
However, thinking about coffee harvest schedules can prove to be helpful when sourcing high-quality coffee for filter and single-origin espresso. Fresh coffee in the roaster will keep your coffee menu tasty and your business one step ahead of the competition. It will also enable you to develop relationships and consistency across the full quality spectrum.
So, how can you keep your filter coffee fresh?
Rigoberto smells fermenting coffee cherries at Cafe Granja la Esperanza
Fresh Filter
If you are in the market for fresh-crop coffee, it’s worthwhile knowing the coffee harvest months for each origin.
A familiarity with harvest months will tell you that it’s better to source Central American coffees like Guatemala or Honduras earlier in the year and African coffees from Rwanda or Burundi towards the end.
A great way to familiarise yourself with this is our Harvest Calendar. It outlines the harvest, shipping and landing months for the countries from which we source our coffee and is a great tool to help you plan your year.
However, this harvest calendar focuses on the commercial and bulk harvests. Speciality coffees are often grown at higher altitudes, take longer to process and ship later.
If you are looking to secure a seasonal offer of the very best coffees, what, where and when should you focus on?
We asked Trader Jack Ravenscroft for his top seasonal picks.
Coffee cherries at Coopedota, Costa Rica
Q1 – JANUARY TO MARCH
- Brazil, Daterra: From high-end Masterpieces to sweet crowd-pleasers
- Indonesia, Hutan: Smallholder project coffee supporting reforestation and biodiversity
- Papua New Guinea, Enorga A: an organic coffee grown by 3000 smallholders in the Okapa valley
Q2 – APRIL TO JUNE
- Nicaragua, Las Nubes: An estate of 7 farms focused on quality and community development
- Guatemala, Nueva Granada: Family farm growing diverse range of varietals including Laurina, Gesha & Specialty Robusta
- Vietnam, Ea Tân: various specialty Robustas from this award-winning cooperative in Đắk Lắk
Q3 – JULY TO SEPTEMBER
- Costa Rica, Tarrazu: 5,000-member coop producing delicious regionals to 90+ microlots
- El Salvador, Jasal: Family-owned group of coffee estates with over 100 years’ experience
- Peru, COOPAFSI: a socially and environmentally-minded cooperative producing innovative microlots
Q4 – OCTOBER TO DECEMBER
- Rwanda, Kinini: An incredible charity project producing 85+ coffees from coops in the Rulindo district
- Myanmar, Single Estates: A fascinating origin where DRW has partnered with three exceptional estates
- Ethiopia, Koke Washing Station: delicious natural and washed coffee from smallholder farmers on the edge of Yirgacheffe town
STUCK SHORT?
- Colombia, CGLE: A group of 5 farms with a global reputation for quality and varietal experimentation. Bi-annual crop and vacuum packaging enables great sourcing flexibility
A great way to keep up to date with freshly landed coffee is through our newsletter, as we showcase newly arrived lots each month. Sign up to our mailing list here.
If you want to discuss your coffee sourcing program or learn more about developing a fresh coffee menu, contact a member of the trade team today.
