Gallery Series, refers to those one-of-a-kind coffees with extremely special or exciting flavor qualities, that when we cup them, we recognize as extraordinary. Like other organic food products, the flavor qualities of Gallery Series coffee reflect not just a particular geography, altitude, farm or varietal–they also reflect less fixed factors like weather and terroir–which is never exactly the same anywhere in the world from year to year. Because of this, Gallery Series coffees are limited edition coffees, so make sure to enjoy them when they are available…

  Bolivian coffee is truly a hidden gem of specialty coffee. I was very surprised at the quality of coffee being produced, in these small farms high in the Andes Mountains.  Growing conditions reach as high as 2500 meters above sea level.      Almost every farm is organic; however, not all are certified.  Typically these farms also grow other crops amongst their coffee trees such as orange, banana, and other tropical fruits.  Walking through these farms gives you a lot of history as many have been handed down for many generations. Their farms and processes methods are very small as most farms are never more than 10 hectares.  The growing conditions and processing methods are very typical of what would be found in Africa. You will find a lot of naturals, and semi-washed coffee on these farms.    

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Well it was the final day of the 2007 Bolivian Cup of Excellence competition. There was no better way to end off my journey than by seeing all of the hard working farmers and their families cheering each other on in hopes of being one of the 26 finalists.

It was incredible to see their faces filled with joy when their names were called one by one and recognized in front of all the media and their peers for the efforts to improve quality and consistency on their farms. It sure makes it easy for me to want to continue supporting the COE Competition when you get to hear stories of how this motivates them to improve what they do, and hear them tell us how their lives change through the exportation of their coffee to our roasting facilities.  

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This is an exciting event for myself. I have been invited to join the international cupping jury for the 2007 Cup of Excellence competition in Bolivia.

“You are formally invited to be a member of the international jury for the Bolivia Cup of Excellence® competition that will be held in Coroico, Bolivia, from October 8th- 12th, 2007. The Bolivia Cup of Excellence competition is coordinated by a group effort made up of industry organizations in Bolivia and is owned and managed by The Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). We are thrilled to have you as a member of the international jury for this event and know that this competition will prove to be exciting and unforgettable for both the jury and the winning farmers.”

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 We recently had the pleasure of touring Brazil, and one of our main objectives was to visit Renato Farhat Brito and his father Marcelo Renato Brito who own and operate the Sete Cachoeiras Estate Coffee farm in Sul De Minas Brazil (Sul De Minas is one of the largest coffee growing areas in Brazil).

The reason we wanted to visit this farm in particular is because it is one of approximately 15 farms in Brazil that are certified Rainforest Alliance. What makes Sete Cachoeiras unique over the other Rainforest Alliance farms is that they go well beyond their requirements for certification, and when they originally applied for this certification, it took very little effort to accomplish this goal as Renato and Marcelo already believed and practiced the philosophy’s of protecting the environment and treating their employees with the respect and compensation that they deserved.   This farm is also Utz Kapeh Certified.

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I am sitting here looking out the window at the beautiful coast of Victoria, Brazil, getting ready for a long journey home. We have had an amazing time…to much to be said in this one entry. We learned so much, and I am personally looking forward to bringing this knowledge back home to our customers.Not only that, there have been many new relationships begun, and incredible stories of people going far above and beyond what is normal as it relates to coffee quality, agricultural innovation, and environmental & social practices. We are excited to tell these stories, share their coffee with you & support these new friends of ours.Lots more to be said, but that is all for now. Time to head home! See you soon.

Fratello Coffee Co wins again!!!!

We participated in another Cup of Excellence (COE) auction and won our second FULL lot. This one is very small, only 12 bags.   I assume this is going to arrive late August.  This is a very exciting time.   Fratello Coffee Co has always been about quality and we have always wanted to push the limits on quality, and finally, our market is starting to desire the same quality that our family has been raised on.   To be able to source and supply our clients with the best coffees on the planet makes my job as a cupper/importer a lot more enjoyable.     We can’t wait for you to taste this coffee.

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PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICSFarm: Los MilagrosFarmer: Julio César RealRank: 15City: JinotegaRegion: JinotegaCountry: NicaraguaFarm Size: 3.50 HectaresCoffee growing area: 3.50 HectaresAltitude: 1050 maslCertification: None COFFEE CHARACTERISTICSVariety: CaturraProcessing System: Washed and sun driedLot Size: 21 bagsInternational Jury Score: 86.63Cupping Number: 1148Jury Descriptions: refined acidity (7), smooth (13), well balanced (7), lingering chocolate finish (10), cocoa, syrupy, caramel, rich, creamy, smooth, fruity aromaPlease Note: If a number appears in brackets next to a description it indicates the number of jurors that agreed with that particular decription.

This was a long 5:30 hours today, but the auction is finally over. The top coffee sold for an astounding $47.06 / lb which is a record for Nicaraguans.Fratello Coffee has purchased its first lot of COE’s and are going to look forward to receiving this to product to offer to our clients. We assume that this will be ready to purchase with in 2 months time.The farmers in Nicaragua were astounded at the responses they received. It goes to show that the 3rd Wave of coffee drinkers will pay farmers for the hard work they put into their crops.Fratello Coffee Co chose from “Los Milagros” Estate, Jinotega.Please read more about this fantastic coffee below:

“Los Milagros” Estate, JinotegaDon Julio César Real, a peasant with deep roots, invites us to go down the narrow pass of the mountain where a colorful coffee mill and pulp processor rises.  (Read the rest of this post)