Direct trade is when coffee growers and coffee roasters deal directly with each other, no "middle man". Building relationships like these gives coffee growers and roasters a chance ensure the highest quality coffee possible.
Roasters are able to be at ease knowing that the growers are getting paid proper wages. They are also able to ask any questions directly to the farmer and know the practices being used on the farmer. Growers are able to see where their product is going and receive feedback directly from roasters.
Relationships like these are what we at Brugh Coffee have hoped for since we first started roasting. Our relationship with Finca Idealista has been months in the making and marks our first step into direct trade. Read more about Finca Idealista below.
*All pictures of Finca Idealista provided by Gold Mountain Coffee Growers, LLC*
Finca Idealista sits on a mountain top that borders a nature reserve, whose trees act asa natural airconditioner for its Paca & Caturra variety coffee beans. This cool micro-climate lengthens the coffee cherry maturity process, allowing beans more time to absorb natural sugars and other attributes that contribute to a rounded cup profile.
Finca Idealista workers receive the highest wages around. Local pickers are trained to pick only the reddest cherries so that the farm’s crop reaches its full potential and highest level of sweetness. Extraordinary care is taken, both during wet and dry processing, to inspect all beans and ensure that only the finest, ripest coffee is exported. In addition to washed coffee, the farm has invested in special infrastructure to increase production of natural and honey process coffee, with outstanding cupping results.
Finca Idealista invests in volcanic filters to protect the environment from run-off when coffee is washed. The volcanic material is brought from Masaya, one of Nicaragua’s volcanic regions. The farm saves its best coffee cherries to make coffee cherry tea and uses the rest as nutrients for coffee plants and fruit trees. Idealista bought a rainforest just to protect its flora and fauna.
In addition to its focus on quality, Finca Idealista supports the growth and development of the community through educational supplies and running water for schools, scholarships and medical supplies, free computing classes for girls, and new initiatives based on needs assessment. Its partner organization, Gold Mountain Cofffee Growers, LLC, won the SCAE Sustainability Award for 2016 for joint economic and environmental achievements.
