Our story

Most coffee leaves fermentation to chance. Ours doesn't.

Five short chapters. About three minutes.

01 · Curiosity

It started with one cup in Paris.

An Ethiopia from Sidama, sealed 96 hours, roasted by Terres de Café. Fruitier than I knew coffee could be. In New York I couldn't find anything close: what I found was boozy, wild, or different every batch. So I went looking for the producers who control it.

Read the full story →

Alex, founder

Ripe and unripe coffee cherry on the branch at Finca Los Nogales, Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Picked ripe.
Gloved hands sorting freshly picked coffee cherry at the wet mill, ripe red fruit separated into blue basins, Finca Los Nogales, Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Sorted again, by hand.

02 · Craft

Sealed, timed, printed on the bag.

The producer seals whole cherries away from oxygen for a set number of hours. That window shapes most of what you taste.

Tap a coffee to see its steps.

The Coffee Yards 48h

Uganda · East Mt. Elgon · SL14 · SL28 · Nyasaland · 1,400–2,000 m · Norman Mukuru

Chocolate · Banana flambé · Coconut

  1. 1
    Selection

    SL14, SL28 and Nyasaland red cherries are carefully picked, wet and hand-sorted, then graded.

  2. 2
    Sealed · 48 h

    Whole cherries are sealed for a 48-hour low-oxygen fermentation, to increase cup depth and complexity.

  3. 3
    Drying

    Slowly dried on raised beds, with careful shade control.

  4. 4
    Milling

    Cherries and beans are separated through milling.

  5. 5
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

See this coffee →

The Coffee Yards 96h

Uganda · East Mt. Elgon · SL14 · SL28 · Nyasaland · 1,400–2,000 m · Norman Mukuru

Guava · Peach · Magnolia · Pear · Port wine

  1. 1
    Selection

    SL14, SL28 and Nyasaland red cherries are carefully picked, wet and hand-sorted, then graded.

  2. 2
    Sealed · 96 h

    Whole cherries go under a slow, sealed, oxygen-free fermentation for 96 hours.

  3. 3
    Drying

    Slowly dried on raised beds, with careful shade control.

  4. 4
    Milling

    Cherries and beans are separated through milling.

  5. 5
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

See this coffee →

Bursa G1 Anaerobic

Ethiopia · Arbegona, Sidama · 74158 Heirloom G1 · 2,230 m · Mulugeta Muntasha · Dawencho station

Papaya · Strawberry wine · Watermelon · Tea

  1. 1
    Delivery

    600 smallholders around Arbegona station deliver coffee cherries at peak ripeness of this indigenous, naturally evolved varietal.

  2. 2
    Sealed · 96 h

    Coffee cherries are carefully fermented in sealed, oxygen-free tanks to enhance the fruit flavours.

  3. 3
    Sun-drying

    Beans are slowly sun-dried on beds above 2,300 m.

  4. 4
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock these beans’ unique flavour characteristics.

See this coffee →

Bursa G1 Washed

Ethiopia · Arbegona, Sidama · 74158 Heirloom G1 · 2,300–2,400 m · Mulugeta Muntasha · Dawencho station

Apricot · Lime · Raspberry · Honeysuckle

  1. 1
    Delivery

    600 smallholders around Arbegona station deliver ripe coffee cherries.

  2. 2
    Depulp & wash

    Coffee cherries are carefully depulped, fermented and washed clean.

  3. 3
    Sun-drying

    Beans are sun-dried slowly on beds above 2,300 m.

  4. 4
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

See this coffee →

Papayo Jungle

Colombia · Fresno, Tolima · Papayo · 1,500 m · Bayter · El Vergel Estate

Strawberry · Mango · Chocolate · Pineapple

  1. 1
    Selection

    Careful selection at peak ripeness of Papayo coffee cherries, a rare and exceptional varietal.

  2. 2
    Pre-ferment · 4 h

    A 4-hour aerobic pre-fermentation phase, to enhance the coffee’s natural fruity and tropical notes.

  3. 3
    Sealed · 96 h

    96-hour anaerobic fermentation in hermetic tanks, with humidity held at 22–25% for a slow and even fermentation.

  4. 4
    Drying · 76 h

    A controlled 76-hour mechanical drying process, to lock in the integrity of the varietal’s exotic notes.

  5. 5
    Rest · 30 days

    Beans rest 30 days in GrainPro before milling, so moisture equalises through the bean.

  6. 6
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

Nativo Nogales

Colombia · Pitalito, Huila · Caturra · 1,750–1,950 m · Hernández family, Finca Los Nogales

Tropical fruit · Banana · Rose · Tangerine

  1. 1
    Selection

    Ripe cherries are picked and sorted by density.

  2. 2
    Thermal shock

    A thermal shock treatment at 80 °C for 20 seconds is applied, to open the pores and release the sugars.

  3. 3
    Sealed · 96 h

    Cherries are fermented in oxygen-free sealed tanks for 96 hours, with a coffee-cherry fermentation starter liquid saved from a previous lot.

  4. 4
    Dry & rest

    Drying takes 2 to 4 days; beans are separated and then rest 15 days before leaving the farm.

  5. 5
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

Natural Guamo

Colombia · Manzanares, Caldas · Caturra · 1,800 m · Reforest Project · processed at El Vergel

Cocoa · Cherry · Blueberry · Green apple

  1. 1
    Selection

    Caturra cherries, renowned for their complex flavour potential, are meticulously selected.

  2. 2
    Pre-ferment · 36 h

    A first 36-hour anaerobic pre-fermentation enhances the development of fruity and tropical notes.

  3. 3
    Sealed · 96 h

    Cherries are fermented for 96 hours in oxygen-free tanks at 23 °C, to build sweetness, acidity and complexity.

  4. 4
    Drying · 7 days

    Dried for 7 days, to reach 22% humidity.

  5. 5
    Rest · 30 days

    Beans are separated and rested for 30 days, to 10.5% moisture, for the flavours to settle.

  6. 6
    Roast

    Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.

  • Sealed · anaerobic
  • Anaerobic pre-ferment
  • Aerobic pre-ferment
  • No sealed ferment

03 · Producers

Five producers. Every bag names them.

We don't ferment the coffee. They do. Our job is finding the ones who do it on purpose.

The Bayter family at a coffee event Colombia · Fresno, Tolima

The Bayter family

Grow the rare Papayo, traded like a Gesha

Study their own yeasts to steer each ferment

Read their story →
Three Ethiopian Cup of Excellence winners with their certificate, medals and trophies Ethiopia · Arbegona, Sidama

Mulugeta Muntasha

Processed Ethiopia’s 2022 Cup of Excellence winner

Placed 2nd in Cup of Excellence Ethiopia 2021

Read his story →
Oscar Fernando Hernández of Finca Los Nogales Colombia · Pitalito, Huila

The Hernández family

Won Colombia’s first Cup of Excellence, 2005

Ferment with a saved starter, like sourdough

Shop the lot →
Norman Mukuru beside a raised drying bed on Mt. Elgon Uganda · Mt. Elgon

Norman Mukuru

Built processing for a major Ugandan exporter

Buys cherry from about 300 local farmers

Read his story →
Members of the Reforest Project in Manzanares, Caldas Colombia · Manzanares, Caldas

The Reforest Project

About 60 families planting native shade trees

Dried at El Vergel for consistent quality

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05 · Your cup

Now it's yours to taste.

Shop all 7 coffees

Roasted in small rounds, sealed the same day.