Last week, our director of coffee Jennifer (on the bottom shelf in the group shot above!) attended a producer-roaster quality exchange at Cooperative Coffees' headquarters in Montreal (Coop Coffees is the importer we co-own with 22 other North American coffee roasting companies). There she met with other Coop Coffees member roasters as well as representatives of producer cooperatives we purchase coffee from, including the two gentlemen from Peru pictured below, Javier Dominguez and Herly Mego.
In their hands, Javier and Herly hold some green coffee from Permata Gayo cooperative in Sumatra, one of Higher Grounds' longtime coffee offerings. Just minutes before this photo was taken, Armia Bin Ahmed from Permata Gayo (far left in group photo above) gave a presentation explaining how coffee is processed in Sumatra--a technique called "wet hulling," where the coffee's papery outer layer is removed earlier in the process than it is in other coffee producing countries. For Javier and Herly, who live and farm in Peru, this was their first time learning about Sumatran coffee, which we also tasted alongside several other origins on the cupping table.
The three-day event was full of moments like these as we shared and learned from each other. We always look forward to opportunities to connect with our fellow roasters and the hardworking producers who make our businesses possible!