From the Road: 21st de Septiembre Co-op

11-18-08

Counter Culture Coffee's Sustainability & Producer Relations Manager Kim Elena Bullock emailed a dispatch yesterday from the town of Putla de Guerrero in western Oaxaca, Mexico, where the 21st of September co-op has its offices, warehouse, and soon-to-be cupping lab.

The 21st's coffee buyers, including Counter Culture Coffee, gathered in Putla to work together with the leadership of the co-op to set a course for the current coffee harvest. In addition to authentic, delicious tacos, Kim Elena had the unusual opportunity to participate, along with representatives from all 23 of the 21st's member communities, in a visit to a small coffee farm in the town of Zimatlán that recently completed a biogas-and-sustainable-miscellany project.

Read Kim Elena's trip report from the 21st of September co-op in our Origins section.

Thanks,
Nathan

A Tale of Two Sumatras

10-10-08

There are perhaps no coffees more misunderstood than the coffees from the island of Sumatra. In shedding light on this misunderstanding, our Director of Coffee and co-owner Peter Giuliano tells the tale of two wildly different coffees—Gayo and Dolok Sanggul—from this gigantic island rich with cultural and geographic diversity. From the Dutch spice trade to the 1920s—when Sumatran coffee was being traded with indigenous names like Ankola and Mandailing—to Counter Culture Coffee's work to bring specificity to buying coffee from Sumatra, Peter shares his insight ... and his experience with the beautiful diversity of Sumatran coffee, Sumatran culture, and the Sumatran environment.

Read the full story in our Origins section.

Thanks,
Nathan

News from the Road: Slow Food Nation in San Francisco!

9-2-08

Our Director of Coffee and co-owner Peter Giuliano just returned from San Francisco, where he attended Slow Food Nation, the first-ever conference/meeting/food fair dedicated to the slow food movement. The idea of Slow Food Nation was to bring together people active in crafted, traditional, and delicious foods, and present their work to the general public on a large scale. Along with other coffee roasters, Counter Culture Coffee was approached to participate in the event to bring together coffee people active in the farm-to-cup coffee movement to give those attending Slow Food Nation an unforgettable coffee experience, with a special focus on the coffee producer.

Special guests were coffee producer Mr. Abdullah Bagersh from Ethiopia, Mr. Edwin Martinez from Guatemala, and Mr. Camilo Merizalde from Colombia.

For a full report from Peter about his trip to Slow Food Nation, please visit our Origins section.

Thanks,
Nathan

From the Road: San Ignacio, Peru!

7-18-08

Our Sustainability & Producer Relations Manager Kim Elena Bullock just visited San Ignacio, Peru, the home of Valle del Santuario! Kim Elena sent back two dispatches in the last week from her travels, including a latte-art throw down in Lima, meeting with reps from Cenfrocafe (the co-op behind Valle del Santuario), farm visits, a spontaneous volleyball game, and much more!

Read more about Kim Elena's trip to Peru in our Origins section.

Thanks,
Nathan