Need Help: Sourcing Small Farm Green Coffee

[flmatt]

Hi all, excited to be here. Obviously I am in the planning stages of a new shop, but I have some questions regarding sourcing that you may or may not be able to point me in the right direction with.

There are many moving parts to this business but the most important for me is quality. I'm after real great quality specialty coffee sourced from small farms, to be roasted in house. I have looked at some of the big importers but they all seem to buy from the big co-ops and bulk farmers that don't necessarily produce the best quality. I also have a big soft spot for sustainability and social and economic responsibility. Simply put, I want to work with farmers that practice sustainability and I want to pay them fairly.

This is all well and good, and idealistic as it may be, I'm kind of stumped as to where to begin. I could spend thousands on plane tickets and traveling but that wouldn't really get me anywhere at the moment. I also don't want to blindly wire money around the world and hope that the product that comes in isn't crap. Do I hire a buyer or representative to go to source etc?

HELP!

Thanks everyone!

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Hello there, and welcome aboard.

You are absolutely right. It is double edge sword.
It is hard trust anyone over sea.
There are many people who came into this site and offered greenbean directly but very few seem very trust worthy.

I have contacts from Indonesia and Mexico.
But I think you can purchase really high quality beans from many different wholesale company as well.
If you think you can save by buying direct, you need to think again.
It will take tons of work to buy beans directly. And the price will be more then what you a custom to.

 

[peterjschmidt]

flmatt, your objective to buy in a way that funnels the appropriate money back to those who do the work is laudible.

That said, my advice is to not make that a primary objective right from the start. I'm not saying forget about it, but you'll have a greater chance of success if you develop some good relationships with an importer or two. They'll have some top-notch coffees, and you won't have to deal with the many pitfalls of working directly with small farms. Then after you've established your shop, you can work on what you perceive to be more ethical ways of finding/buying coffee.

 

[BFRoasters]

I can give you the info for the importer we use, they are a Direct Trade importer, just got our first shipment from them today, awesome people. They are a Christian company and a lot of their profit goes into the coffee community. Also the farmer runs a ministry in Honduras and gives back to the coffee farming community. We felt obligated to use them. They currently have a Honduran, Nicaraguan, Guatemalan, Ethiopian, and Brazilian coffee. PM if you want the name, I don't think we can post website links here?

 

[flmatt]

Hi guys, first of all thanks for the responses! I'm not in a rush here, I'd prefer to get up and running sooner rather than later, obviously, but I want to get it right the first go round.

Peter, you're right, my main objective for now will be getting the best beans possible into my cups. Making sure the people that grow said beans are treated properly is also of high priority to me, but lets be honest, I'm here to start a business. The rest will fall into place in time, I'm sure. And its just one of the many cogs I'm working on at the moment. I'm thrilled to hear any suggestions or tips you guys have. If there are certain importers/wholesalers you've had positive experiences with please feel free to PM me. If you don't mind posting stuff here for anyone else that might find the info useful great, otherwise a PM works. BFR, pm sent thanks!

Thanks again all,
Matt

 

[ensoluna]

hi. i just joined the forum yesterday and just trying to get a hang of it.
if you are trying to buy micro lots, single variety coffees directly from the source, perhaps I can help. please check out first .:ENSOLUNA:.
this is our specialty coffee farm / factory in Guatemala.
if you want to buy small lot (few hundred pounds bags) specialty coffee, you can contact me or Daniel Yancor (but he is in charge of farm and factory in Quetzaltenango, Gautemala, but does not speak english, but he can read and reply back to you in spanish).
Our company specialize in micro lot and also coffee educational programs in Guatemala.
if you have any other questions, please let me know.
thanks
alex

 

[RChing]

Hi, please provide me with sources of green coffee beans. I will be moving to Belize soon and want to investigate opening a coffee related venture. I will need sources of growers, distributors. Thanks, Ray

 

[ensoluna]

Hi, please provide me with sources of green coffee beans. I will be moving to Belize soon and want to investigate opening a coffee related venture. I will need sources of growers, distributors. Thanks, Ray

you can contact Daniel Yancor at Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. he owns few coffee farms, processing factory and export company. he can help you. company name is ensoluna S.A. his email is danielyancor@gmail.com he only speak spanish, but he can read english and reply back to you in spanish. thanks alex