our coffees
Farmers in Ahuachapan were the first to grow coffee in El Salvador with seeds brought from Guatemala in the last years of the 1700’s. Santa Matilde is currently owned by the fifth generation of coffee producers of the Ariz-Herrera family, making it one of the first farms in the Concepción de Ataco region to grow specialty coffee beginning in the 1875. The family has been bringing sustainability, social responsibility, and employment to the communities around the farm for over 100 years. The Ariz-Herrera family is one of five local families who created FUNDATACO in 1991, a foundation that helps children from the region join soccer schools and pursue athletic opportunities and scholarships.
Coffee from Santa Matilde is partially processed at Germania, the small mill within the farm, which has depulpers, washing equipment, and drying facilities. Santa Matilde sun dries coffee on raised beds. The Natural process takes up to 25 days to reach the optimal humidity before being stored at the El Carmens warehouse, where Santa Matilde coffee is dry milled and prepped for export.
Santa Matilde has won much recognition for the quality of their coffees, including top placement in the El Salvador Cup of Excellence in 2018 and 2019. Their passion for providing excellent coffees drives them to innovate and develop great coffees as well as sustainability with their community.
This medium roast bean is perfect for all brewing methods but shines as filter or press with notes of chocolate wafer, black cherry, and candied apple.
Our latest light roast offering comes to us from Jose Ignacio Gomez’s farm located in Vereda el Naranjal in the Nariño department of Colombia. Paraiso’s Caturra variety of coffee grows at altitudes of 1900 meters above sea level and sees an average rainfall of 1800mm per year.
Jose grew up in a coffee producing family and has developed a good palate and an eye for good coffee. He grows coffee on six and a half hectares alongside oranges, lemons, and avocados. During the harvest, he, his family, and team of trained harvesters hand pick the ripe red cherry and process the harvest in their own micro wet mill on the farm.
Several years ago, Jose Ignacio built a custom solar dryer on the farm near the wet mill. Three tiers of raised drying beds are arranged under the plastic roof, which allows light to enter and the farm’s crosswinds to control the temperature by passing through the open ends of the dryer.
When coffee is first harvested, in the case of Naturals, or dried, in the case of Honey and Washed lots, it is placed on the lowest bed. As it dries, it is moved to the top tier, where it remains until it reaches the desired humidity and is ready to be transferred to the bodega storage area for a period of rest prior to export known as reposo, when all the flavors that will be perceived in the cup stabilize. Carlos Alberto is Finca El Paraiso’s farm manager and a childhood friend of Jose’s. Carlos is in charge of monitoring the drying process and moving the coffees between tiers as the drying process progresses. This lot of Castillo Natural was dried for approximately 20 days.
Nariño is one of Colombia’s 32 Departments. It shares a southern border with Ecuador and is home to thousands of smallholder coffee producing families. Colombia’s three ranges of Andean mountains converge in Nariño, presenting ideal altitudes and fertile soil for high grown Arabica production.
Nariño’s particular geography and proximity to coastal and land borders have historically transformed it into a corridor for illicit trade routes, resulting in unwarranted violence against residents of remote mountain farms. Today, thanks to the particularly resilient and fearless spirit of Nariño’s farmers, the small region is a respected nucleus of coffee innovation.
We’ve roasted this bean to reveal notes of bubble gum, guava, and cocoa nibs which makes it the perfect bean for all brewing methods from espresso to cold brew. Bright and fruity, this bean is the perfect summer sipper!
Paubrasil is named for Brazil’s national tree and exemplifies the consistent quality created by Brazil’s seasoned farmers, who use all available technologies to advance production by growing coffees that offer balanced, smooth profiles, despite changing environmental conditions.
Each container of this coffee is traceable back to the farm(s) where it was grown through a QR code linking to an online profile compiled prior to shipping the coffee. Coffees certified with the Designation of Origin are grown on farms in an area encompassing 55 municipalities that produce coffees with a unique identity, resulting from the combination of climate, soil, terrain, elevation, and the “know-how” of producers.
Paubrasil’s contributing producers belong to one of nine cooperatives or six associations affiliated with the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation, have signed a statement of good practices in accordance with Brazilian labor laws, and store coffee in accredited warehouses post-harvest.
The Cerrado Mineiro region is a world-recognized, high-quality coffee producing origin and became the first Protected Geographical Indication in Brazil in 2005, with full Designation of Origin in 2013. A strong characteristic of this region is its well-defined seasons—a hot, wet summer is followed by a pleasantly dry winter. The dry climate during harvest eliminates potential problems with humidity during the drying process.
Minas Gerais is Brazil’s principal agricultural state, and the Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting. We love Cerrado coffees for their big body, rich chocolate notes, and velvety texture when pulled as espresso.
This bean offers delicious notes of semi sweet chocolate, graham cracker, and apple.
Serras de Minas is a perfect example of a traditional balanced Brazilian coffee. It carries the traditional profile of a Brazil coffee with nutty and chocolatey notes, but much more elevated and with added complexity that exceeds most Brazil coffees. In this coffee we find a rich cholate note, dried citrus and a pleasant nutty finish. This is a fully traceable Swiss Water Process decaf bean, produced in Brazil and imported by Catalogue Coffee in Toronto. It is made from a blend of coffees from producers Luiza Macedo, William Cesar Gomes, brothers Márcio Custódio and Izonel Junior and Fazenda CETEC.
From an early age, William Cesar Gomes learned the craft of cultivation from watching his parents and older brothers. There was a time when the family crops ended but when the growing life resumed in 2017, William joined in to plant his first crop. Drought and pests made that initial plunge a challenge, but over time, William has successfully added more crops and more experience to his resume as his production effort has grown in the pursuit of high-quality coffee.
From humble beginnings, brothers Márcio Custódio and Izonel Junior discovered their passion for coffee working as pickers before dedicating themselves to their studies. After becoming university professors, they pledged to open their own technical school: several years later, the CEDEC Technological Center became a reality. Located in the city of Lavras, in the south of Minas Gerais, CEDEC aimed to provide young people in need with the possibility to study and improve their quality of life. Ten years after forming CEDEC, and having trained more than 5,000 youths, Márcio and Izonel decided it was time to make good on their dream of returning to the land and purchased a small farm in the tiny town of Itumirim (which means “small waterfall,” in tribute to the dozens of scenic waterfalls the area is known for). In a tragic twist of fate, Izonel died not long after the farm’s purchase. Márcio thought of selling but instead opted to pursue the brothers’ childhood passion, naming the property Fazenda CETEC in honour of the school that provided them with the opportunity to begin again as producers of beautiful coffee.
Through the years, Fazenda CETEC has focused on providing a respectful and safe environment for workers (CEDEC does not employ children based on the premise a child’s place is in school). Committed to the well-being of the farm and the springs and forests it connects to, CETEC keeps water use in its processes to a minimum and integrates signalgrass (Brachiaria) to help prevent soil erosion and reduce the need for herbicide and chemical fertilizers to keep weeds and pests at bay. The grass is placed under coffee trees to create a natural organic buffer.
An agronomist, producer Luiza Macedo has dedicated herself to the pursuit of studying coffee production. She has a master’s degree in coffee nutrition and physiology and is now in the throes of obtaining a PhD. Luiza is a founding partner of the company ""Conhecimento Agro” – aimed at increasing producers’ autonomy by providing a bridge between research, theory and practice through the provision of online courses and consulting. Luiza is currently the deputy director of research at the Brazilian chapter of IWCA (Alianca Internacional das Mulheres, do Café).
This isn’t a regular Dark Roast, it’s a cool Dark Roast.
Our ode to dark roast is a little bit smoky, a lot a bit tasty, and has all the integrity and flavour you’ve come to expect from a Good Grief coffee. A blend of seasonal beans, the Dark Roast will satisfy drinkers without leaving the bitterness of a traditional French Roast behind. It’s perfectly balanced notes of molasses, baking spice, and caramel make it suitable for both filter coffee and espresso, and everything in between. Although roasted a bit darker than our standard coffee, the nuance of the beans still shines through giving the drinker a delicious mouthful of caffeinated goodness, sip after sip.
