Our number one goal has always been to shrink the distance between the beginning and end of the coffee value chain.

Always.  Day one to day now.

A key tenet to that notion is to Always Buy From The Same Producers Every Single Occasion Possible. Risk always lies with producers so the absolute least we can do is relentlessly support their work by purchasing as much as we can, as often as we can. Yes, even on down years; years where quality dips a bit from the year before. Unless completely defective in a way that disqualifies a coffee from “specialty” certification, we will find a lane to send a producer’s coffee through each year. 

Enter producer Hugo Gonzalez.  We found his work in our second year of roasting through our friends at The Coffee Quest. 

At the time, Hugo was producing a handful of Colombia-popular varieties including Variedad Colombia, Castillo and Caturra. His compact plot encompasses 1 hectare of land, is named El Edén, and hangs out at 1,700 meters, near Santa Marta in Colombia. On paper, this setup sounds “normal” for a smallholder. But the cups Hugo’s field blends produced transcended normal to exceptional.

Turns out two years in a row with Hugo was an absolute treat. Both years yielded indelibly red tasting cups, like a Red Vine candy smothered in honey. Truly lovely and as it turns out, truly fleeting.

Year three, Hugo disappears from the map. The importer receives no samples, no visits, no word. Same for year four and five.

Suddenly, this year, a lightning bolt hits the offer sheet!

There it is, Hugo Gonzalez, a TINY two bag lot with Chiroso and Java listed as the variety makeup. Coffees we didn’t expect Hugo to be producing. Varieties we are VERY interested in exploring.

The universe aligned for this one and we are so happy to share it with you.

Imagine surfing through a cloud of blackberries, while carving the edges kicks out botanical waves, with early Elvis tunes simply pummeling the air around you.

It’s that special and fleeting. Grab before it’s gone!