We are not unique among coffee roasters in creating direct relationships with growers by traveling to coffee farms and mills. That said, the way we do it is a little different. Most coffee companies, if they do travel to origin, typically will send the owner, roast master or if they are a larger roaster, their green coffee buyer. A crucial aspect of our Source Direct program is that we include many members of our staff in these trips. We do this because New Harvest is dedicated to being a learning organization and it is vital that as many of our employees experience coffee growing, harvesting and processing as possible.
We want all of our employees to be able to speak authentically to what it takes to bring coffee all the way from the farm to the cup. This deepens their investment in their work at the roastery and their passion for what they are doing. This in turn engages our customers, giving their support for New Harvest a broader scope, perspective and appreciation for all the hard work that goes into producing specialty coffee. Every coffee bean we roast has been picked by hand and it is important that our employees are able to communicate what that means through witnessing it first hand.
The pandemic derailed our Source Direct program for a couple of years. We were still buying from the same small farms and cooperatives that we had been for many years but were unable to travel due to Covid restrictions. So in 2023, we have made up for lost time. In January, our founder Rik Kleinfeldt traveled to Costa Rica to visit the cooperative at Naranjo which produces our La Rosa coffee. In February, our Production Manager Valerie Martino and roaster Kim Arthurs visited La Voz near Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Our Director of Operations Justin met with producers at the COMSA cooperative in Marcala, Honduras in March. Our Director of Training Britta Gustafson finished up our travel this year at Santa Barbara Estate in Antioquia, Colombia.
All these trips have reinvigorated our Source Direct program and we are honored to roast all of these wonderful coffees - and share them with you!
