Brazil
Fazenda Passeio
Adolfo’s farm – Fazenda Passeio – has the perfect match of agronomy, production quality and natural habitat; we have worked with Adolfo since 2015 . A lot of Brazilian coffee estates can feel like vast landscapes of lifeless mono-crops heading off into the distance, but here the combination of shade trees, protected forest and evidence of wildlife amongst the coffee trees make a big difference. He grows classic arabica varietals like Yellow Bourbon, Mondo Novo and Catuai (all that are hardier varietals, but still provide a good cup profile and yield.) Much of the coffee is processed as Pulped Natural, or sun-dried Natural, and we buy both styles from their annual harvest. The Pulped Natural works the best when it is fresh after harvesting, and the Natural we use later in the year once it has settled into a sweet, full-bodied profile.
Sitio Serra e Leite
The town of Poços de Caldas is in the famed Sul de Minas micro-region of Minas Gerais – an area with rolling landscapes, fertile soils and a perfect climate for coffee production. The town itself is renowned for its hot springs and thermal baths, with mineral rich, sulphurous water. Serra e Leite is a 26 hectare farm, with around 16 hectares under coffee production, and situated at an altitude of 1150m. This is a relatively small coffee farm, certainly when compared to others in this Serra do Selado micro-region, and the easy-going Luiz Zanetti focuses on using hands-on, traditional techniques rather than a mechanised approach. He was born on a coffee farm and has spent a life focused on improving the quality of his coffees, and producing a range of micro-lots from each harvest with the support of the exporter Bourbon Specialty Coffees.
Peru
Asproagro Community & Café Femenino
Not only do we support this community directly by sourcing and contracting for their coffee year on year, but we’re also committed to supporting development projects and programs in and around the individual villages that make up this community. We do this by sponsoring projects that have been identified, and are initiated by, the Café Femenino Foundation. The two projects we have supported in 2021/22 are in Lambayeque, Peru: a new irrigation sprinkler system in the La Cria village area, where drought and inconsistent rainfall can really affect both the coffee harvest and also subsistence crop production; and funds for the establishment of an Essential Supplies Store in for the La Cria, Villarumi, La Cria, Huanama, San Jose Huanama y Pampa Hermosa village communities, where access to essentials has become exceptionally difficult during the pandemic. “The Café Femenino coffee program is one-of-a-kind ethical sourcing model committed to ending the cycle of poverty affecting women coffee farmers across the world. Café Femenino provides direct compensation to women farmers, along with the opportunity and resources to enact positive change in their communities and on their own terms. Women in remote and rural coffee communities face a host of challenges that keep them trapped in poverty. Many of these isolated women live in male-dominated societies and have very little financial control or decision-making power.”
Bolivia
Union Pro-Agro & Cafe Fememino
Bolivia has an exceptionally small coffee industry when compared to some of its South American neighbours, and whilst it has some of the key ingredients for specialty coffee production (high altitude, fertile soils, abundant rainfall and heritage arabica varietals, especially in the mountainous Yungas region) it is also impacted by issues such as the country being landlocked, difficult internal transport, the lure of coca production and a lack of investment in the industry. In the mid 2000’s, it looked to be an up and coming origin for specialty production with an increasing number of micro-lots available from small producers and more established farms, and also support from the Cup of Excellence program. Since then, the situation has become more challenging and quality has been known to fluctuate – Union Pro-Agro itself suffered, especially as key members stepped away. But it is now seeing a revival, and a push towards exporting more Café Femenino coffee from its women producer members once again.
We’ve personally known this co-op for over a decade, and Damian has visited on a number of occasions – he worked to launch this coffee as one of the first Café Femenino retail coffees in the UK marketplace back in 2009. After several years of challenges, it’s nice to welcome this coffee back again; this batch is tasting like we’d expect from this region – sweet, creamy body and full of caramel and chocolate notes, nutty aromatics and a wonderful citrus and red apple structure. “Overcoming a variety of barriers, including geographic isolation, rugged terrain, and a traditionally lower status in society, the women of Café Femenino Bolivia Program have successfully improved their coffee producing livelihoods, their future prospects, and the health of their families and communities. It all started in 2009, when the women separated their coffee production from the men’s, created a women’s association, and started their own Café Femenino Program in Bolivia. One of the first advancements the women in Bolivia achieved upon joining Café Femenino was having their names included on the titles to their land. This may sound trivial, but by doing so, the land remains with each woman if she becomes abandoned or is widowed, thereby providing protection from for herself and her children. Psychologically, this act instills a sense of value and ownership over each woman’s livelihood and business. This is a powerful means of creating self-esteem for women who are accustomed to being viewed as servants to their husbands.”
Colombia
El Ata Community
Beneath the shadows of the beautiful Nevado del Huila and surrounded by the Ata River, lies the town of Planadas. This active volcano, combined with the rivera of the Ata River, has given the region fertile volcanic soils and a range microclimate that matched with farmer’s dedication and hard work has resulted in a unique cup profile. This region in Colombia had serious security issues in the past due to the guerrilla presence. For over five decades, Planadas did not have the social or economic development that much of the rest of Colombia experienced, and for this reason the area feels a little lost in time. But, thankfully, peace has returned to the region. For the inhabitants of Planadas, their Ata River has been inspiration to create songs, has been the setting to many love stories and many adventures, and has been part of lives of dozens of coffee growers in the region where they go on holiday to take a rest. In 2019 the brand El Ata was developed in partnership with Caravela and the producers supplying this coffee, and was born from our year on year purchase of El Jordan coffee from the Tolima region – El Ata is produced exclusively for Dark Woods and we sign forward contracts to guarantee both volumes and prices for this small group of farmers (there are around 15-20 in total). We receive fresh shipments quarterly, and are committed to grow the volumes year on year and improve the quality premium paid to these producers.
El Placer
Working with Sebastian and El Placer started as a new relationship for us in 2021, and we’ve continued to buy a range of his unique micro and nano-lots. We were introduced by our friend and supply partner, Roger Zapata of Los Cafes Del Arriero. Quindio is the beautiful heart of the Colombian coffee belt, and Finca El Placer, in Calarca is owned by fourth generation producer Sebastian Ramirez who has been running the estate for over 10 years. He utilises washed, honey and natural processing with a twist, and has a beautiful array of heritage varietals, including Geisha, Red, Pink & Yellow Bourbon and Wush Wush. All processing undergoes extended, carbonic fermentation and Sebastian also adds coffee “must” from the cherries to aid flavour development during the long fermentation. The coffees are then slowly dried on patios and raised tables. Working closely with a local laboratory has helped Sebastian to understand more about the flora (localised yeasts and bacteria) that are key players in the fermentation. In 2023, we hosted Sebastian and around sixty invited people from the UK coffee industry at our mill.
Forest Coffees & El Vergel
Our friend, Juan Cano from Mercanta, first mentioned his compatriot Shady Bayter and his coffees to us, and had been really complimentary about their coffees and profiles. So, when Shady approached us, we couldn’t wait to try his family’s coffees…. we certainly weren’t disappointed. Our first release from Shady and his brother, Elias, is their “Guavabanana” coffee that utilises Red and Yellow Caturra arabica cherries from their El Vergel farm in Tolima, and undergo a deep, anaerobic fermentation to deliver a thick, fruity-chocolaty coffee with a touch of umami character. It highlights their approach to modern processing techniques and flavour profiles. Under their Forest Coffees umbrella, Elias & Shady Bayter have focused on a varietal and process driven approach to coffee profiles from their own farm - El Vergel - in Fresno, Tolima but also sourcing cherries from both neighbouring farms and those further afield in Colombia that they can help add value to those producers and the supply chain. Colombian coffee producers are very much at the forefront of experimentation and scientific explorations of what can be achieved in coffee flavours, by influencing the processing and drying of the coffee cherries, and the Bayter family are instantly recognised in this category. At El Vergel, situated on an inactive volcano, they have Gesha, Bourbon, Caturra, Java and other Arabica varietals to act as the core ingredient, and then undertake a choice of washed, honey and natural processing methods, often anaerobic, and sometimes with experimental additions.
Mikava Coffee
Mikava Estates, founded in 2013, is owned and operated by Paul Kevin Doyle, an American who progressed from running a coffee cart, to a café and roastery in the Pacific Northwest before turning his attention to coffee production. With support from his son Kevin, they decided to buy a beautiful coffee farm in Marsella in the Risaralda region of Colombia, and to focus on the finest, quality driven arabica varietals, processed using modern techniques. Inspired by techniques from the wine industry, particularly carbonic maceration, they experimented with these methods to bring out more sweetness, complexity, fruit and floral notes in the coffee. In 2019, they won the Colombia Cup of Excellence competition with a Gesha (Geisha) coffee from their second, Santuario farm, and with a record points score. Considering the level of competition in the Colombian CoE, this was a stunning achievement. Finca Marsella lies at 1725m, overlooking the town, and across the valley from Finca Santuario. We were introduced to Paul’s coffees in 2020 by Roger Zapata of Los Cafes Del Arriero, and we released small batches of Marsella Red Bourbon and Santuario Gesha to incredible customer feedback. We’ve since released a series of some of their finest achievements – the famous “Jenna” lot named after Paul’s daughter, and their award winning “Star of Colombia” from 2021.
