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.
Named for Ethiopia’s national tree, the Acacia Core Coffee comes from smallholder farmers in the Yirgacheffe and Guji regions. The sweet, fruity profile is selected to represent the classic flavors of some of Ethiopia’s best recognized coffee producing regions. This Core coffee reflects the work of whole communities, and the Ethiopia Acacia Washed is produced by the smallholder farmers who characterize the coffee production landscape of Ethiopia.
In these southern regions of Ethiopia farmers pick coffee selectively, harvesting only ripe cherries individually by hand. Pickers rotate among the trees every eight to ten days, choosing only the cherries which are at peak ripeness. Coffee is depulped and washed by hand in cement canals at community washing stations. After fermenting in water to loosen the mucilage, wooden paddles are used to fully wash the coffee. Coffee is then placed on raised beds to dry in the sun.
Guji is a zone in the Oromia Region of southern Ethiopia. Like many of the country’s coffee growing regions, the culture of the Guji Zone varies from district to district and speaks to the diversity of people who cultivate coffee. More small washing stations are being built in Guji to respond to the demand for improvements in processing to fully capture the range of attributes found in Ethiopian coffee. The zone’s principal fresh water source is the Ganale Dorya river, which also acts as the boundary line with the neighboring Bale zone to the east.
Literally translated as “Land of Many Springs,” Yirgacheffe, the birthplace of coffee, has the ideal topography, elevation, and water sources to produce and process exceptional coffees. Coffee farmers in Yirgacheffe are typically multi-generational small-scale landholders, sometimes farming only a few hectares. Most coffees in Yirgacheffe are sold as cherry to centralized washing stations that help further separate flavor profiles.
This light, fruity washed bean is a perfect way to welcome the warmer weather and longer days. Its notes of peach tea and caramel are light on the palette making it easy to drink at any time of day. We love this coffee brewed in any method and know its subtle flavours will be welcome in all of your cups!
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.
