December trip to origin, to Colombia

Alan Spear, co-founder of Coffee By Design, and Jeremy Behne, director of coffee, took some time at the beginning of this month to visit Colombia on a coffee finding trip. They were part of a group of other American coffee roasters and buyers. Eager to explore and source new coffees, they were looking for some high quality single origins, which they found, and we are looking forward to seeing them in February and March. They also purchased some larger lots for use in some of our blends. Coffee from Colombia is one of the most popular beans at CBD. Their first stop was Hacienda La Arboleda, a beautiful farm owned by now-friends of Coffee By Design, Andres Alvarez Arango and his family. Set in the town of Los Andes, it is a true working farm. Andres is involved in the farm’s day to day activities and is always looking to improve crop quality and yields. He even shared a sample of a naturally processed coffee; he continually seeks ways to innovate. Coffee By Design buys all of their export Arboleda. It’s great coffee, and their continued efforts in environmental sustainable practices, including reducing water consumption by 250% by using a modified version of aquapulping instead of standard washing tanks, is important to Coffee By Design.  Alan and Jeremy visited another farm, El Silencio, for a tour and to consider purchasing from them. Named after the river that runs through the valley, it has a very steep ravine and is a peaceful area. Not a lot of farmers have a river they can so easily access; this farm is fortunate.  This is a shot of the group on the trip at El Silencio.  Jeremy, Luis Humberto Carupia Marcelo, owner of the farm El Llano, and Alan.  Jeremy and Alan on top of bags of coffee from Hacienda La Arboleda, ready for export! The two visited 8 farms, using the nearby town Jardin as their home base. This is where the mill and coffee processing take place for La Minita, which owns the mill. Alan and Jeremy got to see how the coffee is collected, sorted, processed, graded and packaged. Trips to origin are important for finding the great next coffee and for visiting established relationships. They also serve as an equally important opportunity to make sure the farms are meeting Coffee By Design’s criteria, including sustainability requirements.