2020 Harvest
Guatemala Visit 2020
Q&A with Carmen Elena Silva from Sicafe in El Salvador
New Mexican Offering - Honey Coffee from La Laja
La Laja is one of our new offerings in 2020 and we are so happy to present their honey coffee. It is truly a sugar bomb with flavors of chocolate and cherry and a mild orange citric acidity. You will love the big creamy body on this coffee. Read on for more about the farm’s history.
El Salvador Arrivals!
Rafael and Carmen Elena Silva run a beautiful coffee operation in El Salvador. They are gracious people, who view their work as an opportunity to improve things in the world one small step at a time. Their farms are tended carefully to promote the quality of the coffee and to preserve native tree and wildlife species, local workers are protected and treated fairly, and their coffees always sparkle on our cupping table.
Updates from our suppliers on Coronavirus impact
We think it’s important to keep you informed on the Coronavirus' effects on La Minita’s coffee suppliers and their operations as coffee supply may be affected as we move further into the year. Here is an update from the end of April, 2020. We will continue to provide news from origin as we receive it.
April 2020 update from Jardín
Our trilladora in Jardín is operating at an adjusted pace. Our employees and suppliers have many new rules to follow, but they understand why and are doing their part to comply. We are continuing purchases from our producers and are able to fulfill all of our contracts, though difficulties exist in Jardin and everyone is feeling some strain.
2020 Colombia Single Farm Lots
These single farm coffees come from La Minita’s mill in Jardín, Colombia. These coffees are cupping great, freshly landed, and we think they’re a great price for traceable, high quality, single farm coffees. Some have multiple lots relating to different deliveries to our mill over the harvest period. Coffees are on both coasts of the US.
Business update Mar 24, 2020
Friends,
These are trying times for all of us. We are facing unprecedented challenges that may only increase over time.
All of La Minita is still operating and able to provide for your green coffee needs.
We are of course following all guidelines set out by the CDC and following all regulations and recommendations made by local governments. This goes for all our offices.
There are updates every day from warehouses, ports, trucking lines, etc that reassure us their companies are still open for business. This is nice to hear but it also seems tenuous. We do anticipate that the next few weeks will put strain on warehouse labor and freight carriers, and orders may take longer to process and move.
Many clients are increasing their regular inventory levels as a just in case measure. This doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Let us know how we can help.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Atipanaku Peru Microlot Competition
Last fall, we were lucky to take part in a first of its kind grassroots competition for high end Peruvian microlots. The competition was called Atipanaku, which is Quechua for “competition”, and it was conceived of by a group of Peruvian coffee producers. They wanted a way to recognize producers that were making excellent coffees, but at very small volumes that were sometimes lost in the mix with larger lots.
December in Antioquia - All decked out for Christmas
Our annual December visit to our trilladora in Jardín Antioquia has come and gone. We traveled with a great group of current clients, visited new farms, and enjoyed our time in the colonial town as it was all dressed up and ready for Christmas.
Visiting Coffee Farms in Lake Toba, Sumatra
From November 4th to 11th, I made my annual visit with our producer partners in Sumatra. This year, Dale Schotte and Talon Cooksey from Park Avenue Coffee were able to join me on my trip.
Peru: The One Constant Is Change
In October I went to Peru to visit La Minita suppliers. Peru holds a special place in my heart as I have worked with welcoming, entrepreneurial, and motivated folks there for over ten years. On this trip, I went to the northern coffee producing regions of Cajamarca and Amazonas. I was greeted at almost every farm with a full lunch – chicken, rice, cuy (guinea pig), tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and yucca. The steep bumpy roads bring you to vistas where you feel like you can see all the way to the Amazon jungle.
Colombia Visit October 2019
We just returned from a quick visit to our mill Empreses de Antioquia in Jardin Colombia. The trip was short but packed with some great coffees and some new farms coming on board.
Welcome to our New Website
Welcome to our new and improved La Minita website! We’ve been working hard for the past year to make sweeping, necessary, and long overdue changes to our online presence. We know we’ve been way behind our competition here and our website hasn’t reflected the care we put into bringing you the best quality green coffee. We hope that you find our new site easy to navigate, filled with relevant information on our coffees, partners, and processes, and that the site can be a good resource for your business.
A Taste of Fresh Kenyas
This year’s crop of Kenya lots is full of complexity, sweetness, and big flavors. We brought our west coast offerings to roasters at Buckman Coffee Factory on September 18th for a public cupping.
Kenya Offerings 2019
Every year, we select our favorite lots from Kenya and this year’s selection is simply stellar. Coffees are located in the Annex warehouse in CA or Continental NJ (CTI).
Costa Rica Hacienda Rio Negro 2019/20 Forecast
As much as we’re expecting a heavy production year at La Minita this harvest, we are expecting much the same at Hacienda Rio Negro. The flowering there was also very nice and even, and heavier than usual. The weather has been cooperative and the fruit has been maturing well. We are not expecting a record year in 19/20, but a close second to our top year of 2011.
Costa Rica La Minita 19/20 forecast
April 2019 saw a pretty amazing flowering at La Minita, confirming our guesses about the size of the upcoming harvest. 2018/19 was a tough year for production in the Tarrazu valley, and our off year in our 2 year cycle. 2019/20 is slated to be a bigger year and so far all indications are that this will come to pass.
Brazil July Trip Report
I just returned from Brazil with a group of clients. We toured only Cerrado which included visits to four producer groups. We’ve been buying from Serginho de Assis and his Fazenda Agua Limpa since 2015. His farm is RFA certified and produces excellent quality natural and washed grades. The farm is in a beautiful section of Cerrado and the team at Agua Limpa takes great care of the coffee trees and natural environment.