Fresh coffees from East Africa — Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia — are beginning to arrive. So recently, San Diego team members Pablo Lara, Dana Andrews and Shaa’ista Sabir headed to Pully Collective in Los Angeles and invited roasters to cup, discuss the coffees and origins, claim some bags before they land, and enjoy their coffee community!
Pulley Collective is a shared roasting space where members have access to roasting and retail production equipment, a cupping lab and green coffee storage. It also offers white-label roasting and consulting services around all things roasting and green buying.
With more than two dozen folks in attendance, Dana kicked off the event with a conversation about the relationships InterAmerican has developed through these coffees. For example, Shantewene comes from the Dukamo family, and Kenean Dukamo — the second generation to join the business — was an intern in the InterAmerican San Diego office after he graduated college, further connecting our teams.
Misty Valley also comes from a long relationship. Exporter Abdullah Bagersh recently celebrated 20 years of offering this outstanding cup profile — the classic “blueberry jam and florals” that so many look for in a natural-processed Yirgacheffe. InterAmerican encouraged the creation of the Misty Valley profile and has been purchasing it since its first year.
Dana also discussed the social-political complexities of sourcing in Ethiopia and shared anecdotes from her travels in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Pablo followed with an explanation of NKG Bloom, our investment in smallholder farmers (we recommend this three-minute video for a quick explanation) and of the Igale Coffee Club, a youth-benefitting program that InterAmerican has committed to supporting for three years.
Lastly, Shaa’ista Sabir, a new NKG PACE Partner and the newest addition to the San Diego team, introduced herself and gave a lovely introduction of this Neumann Gruppe USA racial-equity program.
Finally, with two big, identical tables laid out, the cupping began. It featured new arrivals and slated-for-summer arrivals from Tanzania, Ethiopia and Kenya. Specifically:
Tanzania Igale Coffee Club Limited Edition
This year’s lot from the Igale AMCOS includes coffee grown by members of the NKG Coffee Club, run by our colleagues at Ibero Tanzania. This after-school program teaches high-school students about the business of growing offering, offering them a career possibility in a region with high unemployment rate, or just access to additional income.
Available now.
Cupping notes: Peach, apricot, toffee, honey, currant.
Kenya NKG Bloom Nguvu
This coffee, designed around a cup quality, comes from a handful of cooperatives in Central Kenya in which members participate in NKG Bloom. This NKG global initiative aims to help producers run their farms as profitable businesses and enter a pathway out of poverty.
Expected arrival August 2023
Cupping notes: Fig, apricot, maple, chocolate.
Kenya AB Baragwi Kariru
The Baragwi Farmers Co-operative Society Limited in Kirinyaga was founded in 1953 and has 137 staff members. This microlot was grown by approximately 1,5000 smallholder farmers and was processed by the members at the Kariru factory.
Expected arrival: August
Cupping notes: Raspberry, maple, lavender, grape, apricot, plum, white sugar, tart cherry.
Kenya Thiririka Githembe AA
This microlot comes from the Thiririka Farmer Cooperative Society, which is a collection of approximately 400 active farmers producing approximately 450 bags per year. The Society is compromised of three factories: Githembe, Kiganjo and Ndundu. Both the FCS and Githembe factory are led by female management.
Expected arrival: August
Cupping notes: Maple, apricot, raspberry, clove.
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Konga G1 Organic
The Konga Cooperative consists of 2,400 smallholder members and is one in a network of cooperatives belonging to the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union.
Available now; 249 60kg bags
Cupping notes: Brown sugar, lychee, pear, vanilla.
Ethiopia Misty Valley Natural G1
Developed by exporter and producing partner Abdullah Bagersh, Misty Valley Natural is a carefully curated lot of heirloom variety coffees from Yirgacheffe Gedido region.
Expected arrival: July; 291 60kg bags.
Cupping notes: Black currant, berry jam, kumquat, sage, honey
Ethiopia Sidamo Shantawene Natural G1 Organic
This coffee comes from Daye Bensa, a company founded by brothers Asefa and Mulugeta Dukamo and is now deeply influenced by the next generation of the Dukamo family. The coffee was grown both on the organic farm owned by Daye Benya and by neighboring smallholders. During the first year of the Cup of Excellence in Ethiopia, Shantawene won 7th Place, from more than 1,400 entries.
Expected arrival: July
Cupping notes: Raspberry, blackberry, maple, honey, prune.
Community, Respect — and Favorites
It was so much fun to see big roasters cupping alongside newer, smaller roasters and really enjoying each other and the experience,” said Pablo. “We hope to host more events like this in the future, in cities across the West Coast, to get to meet with more customers, and potential customers, and to create more community around coffee.”
Dana was also buoyed by the camaraderie. “It was such a pleasure to be with so many roasters, that might be considered competitors, all engaging as respected peers and bonding over the shared cupping experience,” she said. “It was also rewarding to share my travel experiences and taste these beautiful coffees firsthand.”
They agreed that the entire table was very strong, though Misty Valley was a big favorite.
“The Tanzania profile was also very interesting and unique. I loved the balance of it,” added Pablo. “I think roasters also liked that it comes in a 30kg bag, which is a first for us.”
Shaa’ista, who has blended seamlessly into the team, brought a fresh perspective to her first team event.
“Seeing Pablo and Dana in their trader element, and getting to meet so many of our clients, was an awesome way to really make the in-office work feel more visceral,” she said. “Plus, it was so much fun!” •
Ready to sample these coffees? Please get in touch at: traders.iacus@nkg.coffee.
