As demand for transparently traded green coffee increases, algrano have developed a producer-led initiative that empowers growers to reach specialty coffee roasters more effectively through its award-winning platform.
The new ‘Spot Europe’ feature means that producers can now ship their coffee to Bremen before selling to specialty coffee markets. It guarantees significantly lower waiting times for coffee samples, nano lots, micro lots and larger orders to be delivered directly to the roastery door.
Co-founder of algrano, Gilles Brunner, explains that the new initiative was developed in response to producer-need: “Growers told us that they want to be closer to the roaster by having their coffee warehoused in Europe”, he comments. “Our mission is always to bridge the gap between growers and roasters so the ‘Spot Europe’ tool is another step towards fulfilling our goal. It is a great opportunity for growers to take control of developing their own brand, while having much greater visibility in specialty coffee markets”.
Markus Fischer of Finca La Bastilla is a single estate coffee grower based in Nicaragua who is one of the first producers to take advantage of the ‘Spot Europe’ mechanism: “There are several advantages for us as growers. Not only do we have direct contact with the final buyer or roaster but it gives us the opportunity to offer specific qualities in small lots, allowing for total transparency in the supply chain,” he says.
Currently, Finca Las Bastilla produces around 250 specialty micro-lots in parchment or green bean each year. Situated between 1100 – 1450m in Jinotega, the 165-hectare coffee estate benefits from microclimates that contribute to the diversity in cup profile of the coffees grown across the region. Varietals such as Red and Yellow Catuai, Caturra, Catimor, Geisha are all cultivated alongside other hybrids as part of a recent varietal trial programme.
He adds that they have the facility to fully wash, honey process or naturally sun-dry their coffee. A dry mill on the farm also gives them full control in preparing the coffee for specialty markets before it leaves the farm gate for the port, and finally shipped to the warehouse in Bremen.
Markus highlights why having his coffee physically based closer to his customers will help him to realize to his aspirations as a producer: “Roasters will benefit due to the immediate availability of our coffee. This will allow for an intense exchange of information and opinion on quality, production, and other feedback from buyers - which is crucial to us. We are aware of the risks of having coffee consigned to a single destination port but this is important for the expansion of our customer base. For roasters interested in a continuous and dependable supply of a coffee they like, even in small deliveries, this new way of doing business should be interesting. We hope that the algrano platform will change our business from a simple commodity to a branded product for La Bastilla”.
Once the container of microlots from Nicaragua arrives in Bremen this September, algrano plan to roll out the ‘Spot Europe’ feature to other coffee producing countries so that fresh crop from Honduras and Peru will soon be available for roasters to request samples later this year.
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