Dear Valued Customer of CCS North America

We are writing to provide you with a transparent update regarding Collaborative Coffee Source North America's (CCS NA) current operational status.

When we established CCS NA in 2013, we built upon decades of experience in specialty coffee, bringing to North America our commitment to transparent, direct-trade relationships between producers and roasters. Our vision was to create a different kind of sourcing company – one that prioritized collaboration, quality, and equitable compensation throughout the supply chain. Along with other forward-thinking companies of that era, we helped establish new standards for transparency and direct relationships in coffee trading. What began as an alternative approach to coffee importing has since influenced how much of the industry now operates. While this model has contributed to meaningful changes in how specialty coffee is traded, and many of our early innovations have become industry standards, we are now facing significant operational challenges of our own that we need to address openly with you, our trusted partners.

Current Situation:

• We can only process orders on strict cash payment terms

• All deliveries are contingent upon our finance partners' approval and release

• Order fulfillment timelines may be impacted by these constraints

For any pending or new orders, please be aware that:

• Payment must be received in advance

• Delivery timelines will depend on finance partners approval

• We will confirm order status only after securing authorization for the release

We understand this creates additional complexity in your planning and operations. Our team is working diligently to address these challenges, and we commit to providing prompt updates on any changes to this situation. For specific questions about your orders or account, please contact us directly!

Given the gravity of our current circumstances, we strongly urge you to consider securing alternative sourcing arrangements for your immediate needs. While we remain deeply grateful for your trust and support over the years, we must be realistic about our current limitations and the very real possibility that we may not be able to fulfill orders in the manner you have come to expect from us. For those with existing contracted commitments, we earnestly hope you will maintain these agreements as they are crucial to our ability to navigate through this challenging period. We sincerely regret having to share this news and the impact it may have on your business.

Best regards,

CCS North America LLC.

Reflecting on Our Journey and Looking Forward

Dear Partners and Customers,

As we reflect on over a decade of operations in North America, we are deeply grateful for your continued support and collaboration. Our mission at Collaborative Coffee Source (CCS) has been marked by a commitment to transparency, quality, and building lasting relationships within the coffee value chain. Despite significant challenges, our ambition remains steadfast.

Our Vision and Beginnings

In 2011, we aimed to transform the traditional coffee trading model by fostering trust and long-term trade relationships between coffee farmers and roasters through a more direct and transparent approach. We traveled to coffee origins, gathered comprehensive information from the producing communities, assessed the quality of the lots, and curated selections to offer roasters. We believed that early commitments from roasters would benefit both parties, ensuring access to top-quality coffee while supporting farmers through timely decisions.

In South and Central America, we established relationships with pioneers empowering farmers to access the specialty market. These trailblazers not only presented uniquely produced lots but also shared compelling stories of their communities and products. In East Africa, including Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, we adapted our approach to local contexts and traditions.

The Importance of Quality and Information

Defining the value of coffee by collecting detailed information and assessing its quality has been the cornerstone of "Specialty Coffee." However, it remains one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of our work due to language barriers, diverse communication methods, trust issues, and traditional practices. Despite these hurdles, we are convinced that by helping farmers and suppliers provide comprehensive information about their product and its quality, we can add significant value and differentiate specialty coffee from commodity-traded coffee, ultimately justifying better prices for superior quality.


Innovative Solutions and Future Outlook

To address these complexities, we have developed a tech platform designed to streamline processes in the coffee supply chain and enhance our operations. This platform serves as a marketplace connecting coffee farmers, millers, suppliers, and roasters, providing real-time data and insights to improve decision-making and ensure high-quality coffee reaches roasters effectively. Our platform ensures transparency at every step, from the presentation of coffee by farmers or suppliers to the assessments and scores/notes made by roasters, building trust and incentivizing active engagement from all stakeholders.

Looking ahead, our tech platform represents a crucial tool for enhancing our operations and achieving our objectives. By leveraging this platform, we can improve efficiency, ensure transparency, and scale our business sustainably, benefiting everyone and aligning with our mission to support coffee farmers and deliver high-quality coffee to our customers.

Conclusion

We are proud of the relationships we have built and the impact we have made in the coffee trade. The partnerships we have established across the globe exemplify our commitment to quality and sustainability. Despite the obstacles we have faced, we remain dedicated to our mission and are optimistic about the future.

We are seeking strategic partnerships with stakeholders in the value chain who are willing to leverage the vast experience of our team and the tech platform we've built, believing we together can steer CCS in North America towards a successful future. Your support and cooperation are invaluable as we work together to realize the full potential of our mission and continue to make a positive impact in the coffee industry.

In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to sharing more about what this will mean and what it looks like. Stay tuned.


Sincerely,
The CCS Team

PERU. Origin Coffee Lab Report

Check out CCS’ Peru partner’s work on the ground in their community, OCL report from 2019

Alex & Pepe

Origin Coffee Lab. Jaen, Cajamarca. Peru

Farm Profile: Ouro Verde

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Farm Name/Brand Name: Fazenda Ouro Verde
Name of Farm Owner: Mr. Candido Vladimir Ladeia Rosa
Address (Producing Region): Piatã - Bahia (Chapada Diamantina Region)
Farm Size (Hectares): 1150 ha
Coffee Growing Area (Hectares): 550 ha
Annual Production: 11500 bags
Processing System (Natural/Washed): Natural and Pulped Natural
Variety of Trees: Catuai
Altitude (Meters): 1120 masl
Soil: Sandy soil
Annual Rainfall: 11200 mm 1600 mm
Harvest Season: June through September
Exporter: Agricafé Ltda
Processing Mill: Coopmac - Cooperativa Mista Agropecuária Conquistense

Special Features and History

Candido Vladimir Ladeira Rosa’s father acquired Fazenda Ouro Verde at the end of the 1980s. His purpose was to invest in a property to obtain stable family income. Candido Rosa learned from his father how to take care of the farm’s coffee plantations. He provides continuous work for the families that have been working on the farm since the time his parents were the owners so that they have an income that allows them to continue living in the rural area with good living standards. Great care is exerted to produce quality coffees, from adequate preparation of the soil, to planting nursery trees, to careful processing and storage.

Cherry is picked manually into a hand-held basin. Twice a day tractors transfer cherry to the pulper area in order to prevent fermentation. Coffee is dried on terraces, where pulped coffee is spread in thin layers of 4cm and revolve approximately 20 times a day.

After drying, the lots are numbered and kept separately in a warehouse that has proper conditions for coffee storage. Mr. Rosa is always paying attention to new techniques to improve the quality of his coffees and he invests in the most good equipment in order to obtain the best final results.

Farm Profile: Cafundo

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Farm Name/Brand Name: Fazenda Cafundó
Name of Farm Owner: Mr. Pedro Santana
Address (Producing Region): Piatã - Bahia (Chapada Diamantina Region)
Farm Size (Hectares): 28 ha
Coffee Growing Area (Hectares): 5 ha
Annual Production: 200 bags
Processing System (Natural/Washed): Pulped Natural
Variety of Trees: Catuai 144
Altitude (Meters): 1360 meters
Soil: Sandy soil
Annual Rainfall: 1200 - 1600
Harvest Season: June Through September
Exporter: Agricafé Ltda
Processing Mill: Coopmac - Cooperativa Mista Agropecuária Conquistense

Special Features and History

Fazenda Cafundó was acquired by Pedro Santana from a friend in 1989, a quiet place where he wished to live together with his family. He invested in coffee cultivation, taking advantage of the 1,360 m altitude of the property lands.

The altitude and the climate alone already contribute to the coffee plantations. The soil is adequately prepared to receive the nursery trees. In addition, cherry is picked selectively, and the coffee is pulped by the wet natural system, aiding in the preservation of the coffee’s best properties.

Technical monitoring occurs periodically and soil analyses are carried out so that fertilization is made correctly. Coffee is harvested selectively; Cafundo produce Pulped Natual and Natural coffees. Leaves and green beans are separated before the drying process and the dry coffee is processed and appropriately stored in order to maintain its quality.

Farm Profile: Emma Chantre

Emma is 57 and she is married to Juan Bautista Pichica. They have 3 children (Nelson, Javier and Jonny) and two of them help out with the farm work. Emma has been working in coffee for 30 years and the coffee is picked by Emma herself, as well as her family and they try to only pick ripe cherries. Aside from coffee they also produce sugar cane, plantain and yuca, which they use for their own consumption.

Farm: Buena Vista

Area: 3 hectares, of which 2 are planted with coffee, 100% caturra. 7,500 trees

Height: 1,918 masl

Beneficio: Washed, then fermentated 15 to 16 hours

All coffee sun dried on "African" beds

Kenya: The Final (for now) Word

Before we get into the following, I want to make note that much of the previous two posts, as well as what will follow in this one, is necessarily detailed. We are being detailed in an effort to be transparent. Transparency doesn’t just have to do with prices; the buying process is complex and has been unnecessarily vague to those not buying coffee on the ground. We’re changing things. So when you read these posts, much of the information on buying process goes for all the origins we work with.

Potential

Cupping for potential is something we do a lot. We have to. Some coffees are fantastic when they are fresh, but some do not express their best attributes at the time of first cupping – it’s simply too early. Sometimes coffee is presented right off the drying bed and is so fresh it expresses in ways that may not follow-through in later cuppings. It can go either way. Sometimes the coffee will become even better than during the initial cupping, sometimes worse. At origin, coffee is usually stored in parchment up until the moment it will be cupped, or is sent for cupping. The process of preparing a sample is an important process but just as important is knowing/understanding what one is assessing when tasting a sample. For example, is the coffee a representation of everything in the lot, is it a screened representation of what is being offered, or is it a readily prepared coffee? We sometimes talk about the taste of parchment in a coffee: how fresh it is, as well as how and when it was hulled. These things matter. As an example, a slight upward variance in moisture content (i.e. coffee that has not sufficiently rested after drying and has too high a moisture content), combined with being stored in a tight plastic bag in a warm environment, right after parchment is taken off, will affect the resulting flavor profile, whatever the coffee’s inherent qualities were.

Some Notes on Screen Quality

During my visit to Central Kenya Coffee Mill (CKCM) in February 2011, the floor at the warehouse was barely littered with coffee bags. This year, the warehouse is filled to the roof. There has been a serious congestion of coffee coming into the CKCM mill from the cooperatives. Coffee has been kept in parchment and was theoretically ready to be milled in early January. The parchment coffee is "resting" in open bins and while they are under a roof, they are still exposed to moisture from outside air. Due to the unusually high volume of coffees that were processed and dried in December, and because of rains in the Nyeri district in mid-late December, coffees may have been put in resting bins prematurely. In any case, at the time of delivery to CKCM it was also discovered that there was a need to re-dry some lots under open sun. Re-drying is okay, but it can also damage the coffee if it has not been properly dried in the first place. This has been an issue all over Nyeri this year. Last week while at the tasting lab in Nairobi, I tasted some parchment samples (i.e. samples taken from a lot that is then hulled but not screened). All bean sizes are present within this kind of sample. However, I mostly tasted samples of AA, AB, PB grades – these are coffees that have already been milled, screened and are ready to be packed and shipped. I even had the opportunity to taste comparative parchment samples of AA, AB, PB screenings from the same factories: Karagoto, Tegu, Ngunguru. This provided a pretty good picture of what is going on at these places. The coffees I liked best had outturn numbers (i.e. an identifying number given to a coffee lot when it arrives at CKCM that tells us what stage in the harvest it is from) from weeks 15 to 20 (Week 1 begins October 1st) – different samples of lots from the same factory. It is fascinating to taste how different coffees from the same place can be everything from awesome to just plain awful.

And Without Further Ado… Tasting Notes!

KARAGOTO AA I have tasted at least a dozen Karagotos and with some reasoning, I would guess that the lot we ended up choosing (from outturn week 17CK) is from, more or less, the same outturn as the ones I tasted in December 2011. These were picked and processed in the very beginning of November. Our experience with Tekangu coffees over the last five years is that the earlier pickings are the better ones.

Cupping notes: Intense aroma with floral notes. Sweetness, as if from well-matured fruits, a well integrated acidity, clear berry attributes. A full-bodied mouthfeel and juicy aftertaste.

TEGU We have passed on buying at this stage. The tastings in December proved a little disappointing, generally due to weaker intensity and more anonymous attributes; particularly in comparison to sister factories, Karagoto and Ngunguru, which to me are STELLAR this year. However, we will continue to cup samples from Tegu from newer pickings/millings as the season proceeds. We are hoping for great stuff and if we find any, those lots will come in the next shipment. For now, we will not buy Tegu just because of its (well-deserved) fame. It has to prove delicious too, baby!

NGUNGURU AA, AB, PB We are getting a lot of Ngunguru this year, which is an absolute pleasure. Interestingly, the various screen qualities, as well as varying stages in the season (outturn weeks 15CK to 20CK) show beautiful nuance/complexity in character. Overall greatness in this coffee. The earlier pickings showed more complexity and balance; newer pickings show fresher acidity and transparency.

Cupping notes: Intensely floral aromas. Good sweetness, crisp and well pronounced acidity, distinct flavors of red currant (AA), fresh peach (AB), and darker berries (PB). Clean and elegant mouthfeel with a lingering aftertaste.

KANGOCHO AB, KIENI AB, KARATINA AB, GATOMBOYA AB I have chosen these AB lots, some from earlier pickings in the season (outturn week 16CK), some from later pickings (outturn weeks 19CK & 20CK). All express what I find to be desirable and classic attributes.

Cupping notes: Intensely sweet and heavy aromas. Sweetness and flavors as if from sun-matured blackberries, with an acidity giving it spine and strong character. Velvety mouthfeel with a soft and lasting aftertaste.

Acidity junkies are raving in Kenya. The question is: how much and what kind of acidity one wants in the coffee, rather than whether one can find it. We'll work hard to get these Kenya lots in quick and fresh this year so you roasters can have all the acidity you wish to play with. Look for a well prepared, vacuum-packed and clean selection. Get in line for some Kenyan awesomeness!

- Robert

Kenya: The Breakdown

One of the few truths in coffee is that cupping is key! If you want to understand a coffee you need to taste it. If, however, you can’t cup the coffee yourself, work with coffee cuppers you trust. Part of this trust comes from being confident not only in the other’s palate but, just as crucially, in his ability to be able to communicate, meaningfully, the essence of the coffee's character and flavors.

My trip to Kenya this week was for the purpose of finding the best lots of 2011/2012 and to bring them to market. Our goal is to get what we think are the best lots of this year’s harvest to roasters anticipating fantastic Kenyan coffees. My mission for this trip was to cup as many coffees as possible but this work was focused; we are not “starting from scratch” every time we come.

Years of experience have really taught us how to limit our search at this origin. At the same time, we are always open to surprises and are ready for new partners and flavors. Kenya has a well-established and well functioning auction system. The coffees are unique in flavor profile, which is very difficult to replace. As a result, Kenyan coffee has its own price dynamic in the international coffee market that, even if it follows the NYSE to some extent, will ultimately be sold with solid premiums on top of "the C".

The system at the Kenyan Coffee Auction is refreshingly transparent in its communicating where coffees come from, its systematic organization of coffee by screen quality (such as size and physical attributes), and in its practice of rewarding cup quality/sensorial attributes. (Note: at the time of this writing, I am in Ethiopia on a similar mission but the state of the auction system here is in a sorry state. More on this in a future post.)

Most coffee producers in Kenya are so-called small holders. Each producer’s total volume might only be a few bags, thus hundreds of farmers, when living in the same area, are likely to be members of a cooperative that is marketing and selling coffee on the whole community's behalf. Each cooperative usually runs several "factories" (i.e. processing and washing stations) where each producer delivers cherry from his farm. Sometimes a producer chooses to deliver to the closest factory but certain producers prefer delivering to a different factory, due to differing management practices. The usual reason for choosing one factory over another is based on the prices a given factory manages to obtain for its cherries.

Good management, hence a good factory, will not allow for unripe or unevenly matured cherries. This is because accepting such cherry damages the potential to receive optimum prices for everyone concerned. We pride ourselves in knowing the factories we buy from pride themselves on ensuring their community of members deliver only red and mature cherries. In Kenya’s market make-up, cherry price is directly linked to cup quality. Still, one must cup for himself!

In Kenya, a cooperative is a democratically run organization with producers acting as both members and as representatives of the governing board. One key function of the board is to nominate a marketing agent: a body/organization/company that retains a license to sell the co-op’s/client's coffee at the highest possible price. This works in both parties’ interests. Normally a coffee lot is sold at auction, but it can also be sold outside auction if the co-op and marketing agent believe they can get an even better price outside auction through selling directly to a customer. That is where we come into the picture.

At this stage (when coffee has been delivered and processed at the factory), coffee is not ready to cup. The marketing agent, at least in our case, partners with a company that does the dry milling of the coffee still in parchment. These parties also grade, check quality, and record volumes of each coffee grade (i.e. AA, AB, PB, etc.). Finally, they prepare samples for potential buyers. If the marketing agent chooses to sell the coffee at auction, which is generally the case, they need to present a "catalogue" of coffee lots in good time to the market, prior to auction. Auction takes place every Tuesday during the season, beginning on the 1st of October. Catalogues are prepared and presented each auction week by the various agents. In addition to providing a catalogue, each agent must provide samples to potential buyers. Potential buyers must have a buying license.

One such buyer is Dormans, based in Nairobi, and we usually go to them in order to sample coffees we are interested in buying. Dormans has a reputation for retaining good cuppers. We like them, we trust them, and they rigorously search for the best coffees to offer us. In the peak of the buying/auction season they will screen thousands of coffees each week. When we arrive we are presented with just a few hundred of these. These coffees are representative of the best presented to the market. We spend days and days screening these lots in search for what we actually end up buying. If necessary, we'll re-roast coffees to ensure each has been given a fair shot. We also re-cup the “winning lots” many times.

I prefer to cup blind when decision-making is the agenda. As it so happens, coffees from many of the same factories stand-out on the table, as though old friends are re-visiting. These friends include Karagoto, Tegu, Ngunguru of Tekango co-op, Gichathaini, Karagocho, Ndaroini of Gikanda co-op, amongst others. These stand out, time after time, year after year. But there are more! As with a good group of friends, new members sometimes join. We are always welcoming of new and exciting coffees and are buying new ones even more than usual, now that we are supplying more roasters excited about great, diverse and unique coffees.

Dormans has a license to buy at the auction, but as it also happens, they are sister company to a marketing agent/mill where coffee is processed after it finishes drying at the factories and leaves the resting bins. This means we can test coffees way before auction. I always like to go to the mill (CKCM in this case) anyway, to get closer to the action. Ernest at CKCM, who we mentioned in the last post, awaits us each visit and sets up tables of coffees he thinks will be of interest, in addition to coffees from factories we already buy from (due to their consistent and indisputable merits).

In the last few years we have taken advantage of the possibility of buying coffees directly from, or at least in understanding and agreement with, the cooperatives. The cooperative is the seller of the coffee and always wants the highest price possible in recognition of: 1. The hard work of quality oriented farmers and factories, 2. Cup quality, and 3. In recognition of the current price of coffees of "similar quality" being sold at auction in Nairobi. Negotiating the price of the best coffees is important to a buyer eager to secure lots before it goes to auction where somebody else might buy it. The price offered has to be high enough for the cooperative to ensure it won’t be sold better at auction, which can, in turn, discourage quality-minded producers. As a matter of fact, all the best coffees are sold this way, thus the only way to get hold of these lots is to be present at origin while they are coming from the mill, which is now. And we were there to accomplish this!

The question is always: when is the best time to visit to cup? Well, we have chosen to go early and to come back in time. The crop was a month late this year, thus I was there about a month later than usual. Last year, I must say, we managed to get hold of some pretty good stuff. The timing just felt (and was) right.

This year we will buy more coffee, spread from various stages of the crop, from various factories, and even from the same factory but from various representative dates of the season. We want to bring the freshest coffee possible to an eager and freshness-keen market as soon as possible. For the next shipment after this one, just a few weeks later, we are selecting and expecting even more of the good stuff. Why wait longer and settle for less?

We want to buy direct (i.e. as directly as is possible; in Kenya’s case, outside auction). As soon as we have settled prices with our suppliers, we will announce what they are, as well as being totally clear and transparent about other costs necessarily brought into the equation of bringing in each kilo of coffee; costs for all the processing and handling that coffee goes through. The more work put that is put into a coffee, the higher the cup quality potential. Our coffees will be vac-packed and shipped as soon as possible.

Watch for the last Kenya post in this series. We will go through the coffees we’ve chosen, in detail. To be continued...

Robert

Sample roast

Upcoming

Surveying their efforts

Friends, we are working on specific pages for each region. Within these pages, look for a breakdown on what we mean by "traceability". It's not only about varietals, soil and microclimate. It's also about who is doing what. Who are the cherry producers? Who is processing the coffee? Who is exporting it?

For now, here is some general information on the regions we are expecting shipments from. Contact melanie@collaborativecoffeesource.com with inquiries.

Brasil

-  two containers from two different regions will ship this month (February)

 Colombia

- first shipment arrives first week in March. This container is sold out but we are in the process of putting together a second container with coffee from a later harvest, starting April.

 Costa Rica

-  shipment in early April

-  cuppings of samples in late February – early March

 Panama

- shipment in April

- cuppings of samples in February – early March

 El Salvador

-  shipment in March

-  cuppings of samples in February – early March

 Honduras

- shipment in April

- cuppings of samples in March – early April

- delayed harvests

 Kenya

- shipments in February and May

- cuppings of samples in February – early March

 Ethiopia

-  Robert will be in Ethiopia this month. News from this region to follow.