HCC Roasting Team Visits Direct Trade Partners in Colombia

Our coffee roasting team traveled to The Coffee Triangle in the heart of Colombia recently to make a first-hand connection with the farmers that we buy our Direct Trade Coffee from.

The entire roasting team made the trip which included Assistant Roaster Andres Vallejo who is from Manizales, a city in this famous coffee-producing region.  The team visited many farms in all three regions of The Triangle including Finca La Gaviota and Finca Traviesa, gaining invaluable knowledge from the farmers about the issues they face in cultivating coffee as well as the joys it brings them.  “We couldn’t believe that one coffee tree only yields a pound of coffee a year,” said Roastmaster Oscar Amada.  ‘We roast hundreds of thousands of pounds of coffee.  The amount of effort that our farmers put into growing this quality coffee for us gives us an amazing appreciation for them.”

“Hampton Coffee Company’s goal is to purchase as much of its green coffee beans as possible like this, through Direct Trade with local farmers in each coffee-producing country,” said Roasting Manager Szymon Glyzewski.  “This ensures that the farmers are earning a fair price for their coffee which can support their families and their farms and give them the ability to produce top-notch specialty coffee for us to roast and then serve to our customers.”  In addition to Colombia, we currently source Direct Trade beans from other coffee-producing areas including Sumatra and Hawaii.

One of the highlights of the Colombia Field Trip was a Latte Art Competition that we sponsored for local Colombian Baristas.  Hampton Coffee Business Manager Fred Jaeck gave the local contestants a formidable challenge in the Throwdown, but in the end the local Baristas captured the top spots, although the comradery between the Colombians and their counterparts from New York made it a true win-win for all.