Back in 2012, several years before I met Donaldo, he had begun working with his older brother Wilmer. That year, although Wilmer’s coffee tasted very good in Honduras, it lost a lot of its character during transport and was more subdued in the cup after it arrived in Calgary.

We saw this as an opportunity for improvement and in 2014 I worked with Wilmer to set up parabolic drying beds. We financed the cost of the materials, and Wilmer built the beds and parabolic cover prior to the start of the harvest. We worked with him to put protocols in place to slow down the drying process, create more even drying, and avoid exposing the green coffee to high temperatures.

We took it a step further in 2015 and worked with Wilmer to add shade to his drying structures. I have visited Wilmer a number of times to ensure that the new shaded drying is working as expected. Also in 2015, I finally met Donaldo in person, and we began buying his coffee alongside Wilmer’s. Since Donaldo’s production was quite low that year, we blended his coffee with his brother’s.

Since 2016, we have bought all of Donaldo’s harvest, and I have worked more closely with him to mimic all of the great practices Wilmer has established. Donaldo’s coffee has tasted superb in Honduras each year. More importantly, thanks to the investment and effort, it is also tasting excellent when it arrives in Calgary! We are thrilled to work with Donaldo and continue to create projects aimed at improving cup quality.

This green coffee was frozen immediately on its arrival in Calgary, to preserve freshness.

-Sebastian