Origin journeys have grow to be an more and more essential a part of specialty espresso, notably over the previous couple of a long time. With the rising concentrate on direct commerce and establishing long run, mutually useful relationships with producers, these journeys present invaluable alternatives for roasters to forge deeper connections with provide chain actors in producing nations.
Along with establishing extra sustainable relationships with producers, group origin journeys additionally permit roasters to extra carefully have interaction with their friends and different trade professionals. In flip, they will broaden their networks even additional.
As a part of Producer & Roaster Discussion board’s occasion going down in Guatemala this 12 months, the Sourcing Journey Expertise (STE) can be held from 3 to six March 2024. Created particularly for roasters and inexperienced consumers, the STE ticket features a four-day journey to coffee-growing areas in Guatemala, adopted by the two-day PRF discussion board in Guatemala Metropolis on 7 & 8 March 2024.
Learn on to seek out out extra concerning the STE and PRF Guatemala.
Be taught extra about PRF Guatemala right here.
What are origin journeys?
Put merely, an origin journey is when espresso professionals from different components of the availability chain – together with inexperienced consumers, roasters, baristas, and opponents – go to espresso farms in a producing nation.
Though these journeys are understandably extra geared in the direction of roasters and inexperienced espresso consumers, producers from different origin nations may attend. This may be for a lot of causes, together with to broaden their understanding of various farming practices and achieve new perception into new and extra superior processing strategies.
As a part of organised origin journeys, attendees are taken to a number of espresso farms – which might span throughout completely different areas in a selected nation. Friends will typically meet producers and go to farms, together with completely different plots of land and micro and nano heaps.
Attendees might also tour the farm amenities. Relying on the dimensions and kind of farm, this might embody nurseries, grading and sorting areas, and moist and dry mills. Some farms might also have cupping rooms or pattern roasting areas – and even larger-sized roasteries and occasional retailers.
Most origin journeys are led by an organization or an organiser, and produce collectively trade professionals from all over the world. Finally, this presents a singular alternative for roasters and inexperienced consumers to satisfy producers, in addition to their friends, and join in a way more shut and private means.
PRF Guatemala Sourcing Journey Expertise
With a rising variety of trade occasions going down in producing nations yearly, origin journeys have gotten a extra essential a part of them. Producer & Roaster Discussion board – one of many few that locations producers on the very forefront – not solely hosts a two-day discussion board in a special espresso origin nation, but in addition organises a Sourcing Journey Expertise.
In the course of the STE, roasters and inexperienced consumers from all over the world could have the chance to achieve direct and immersive perception into espresso manufacturing. They’ll stick with native hosts on espresso farms within the nation in a number of teams of as much as 15 friends – permitting for a extra intimate and interesting expertise.
Julia Peixoto Peters is the founding father of Peixoto Espresso within the US. She was additionally a visitor on the PRF Colombia 2023 STE.
“The expertise with [Host Sponsor] Cafe Lumbus was unforgettable,” she says. “The group of individuals travelling collectively have been appropriate, the farms we toured have been gorgeous, the coffees we tasted have been distinctive. And extra importantly, the Cafe Lumbus crew was extremely beneficiant and hospitable.”
The PRF Guatemala STE Host Sponsors are:
- Unitrade Espresso – based in 1989, the corporate is devoted to rising, processing, and promoting high-quality Guatemalan espresso, with a key concentrate on nature and sustainability
- San Miguel Coffees – with over 130 years of expertise, San Miguel sources espresso from eight completely different rising areas in Guatemala, focusing particularly on single origin coffees
STE attendees can anticipate to participate in quite a lot of partaking actions similar to:
- Visiting farms and assembly producers
- Observing harvesting and processing
- Travelling to moist and dry mills
- Participating in roundtable discussions and academic actions, together with with producers
- Collaborating in cupping periods
How can I apply?
For roasters and inexperienced consumers interested by attending the PRF Guatemala STE, tickets can be found right here. A PRF Guatemala STE normal ticket covers:
- Full entry to the Sourcing Journey Expertise from 3 to six March 2024, together with farm visits, roundtable discussions, cuppings, and extra
- Entry to the PRF Guatemala two-day discussion board on 7 & 8 March 2024, together with an exhibition, lectures and displays, workshops, and competitions
- Lodging and meals for 3 nights and 4 days (from 3 March to 17:00 native time on 6 March)
- Organised dinners and/or occasions with Host Sponsors
Moreover, on the two-day discussion board, a STE VIP ticket will embody:
- Quick observe entry to the occasion
- VIP lounge entry and devoted VIP wifi
- Entry to an unique espresso brew bar and personal meals service
- VIP dinner
Following the STE, members will return to Guatemala Metropolis to attend the PRF two-day Discussion board on the Anacafé venue on 7 & 8 March 2024.
Different essential particulars to notice embody:
- Worldwide STE attendees should first fly to Guatemala Metropolis. The pick-up level can be at Guaco Café (on the bottom ground of the Anacafé constructing) on 3 March 2024. Please guarantee to reach in Guatemala Metropolis with sufficient time to be on the pick-up level promptly
- Prices of worldwide flights aren’t lined with the STE ticket
- Everybody who purchases a STE ticket will attend an onboarding name to offer additional particulars
- If a couple of particular person attends per roastery or firm, they are going to be positioned with completely different hosts in numerous teams
- Lodging, meals, and transportation aren’t offered and the prices of those bills aren’t lined earlier than or after the STE (prior to three March and from 6 March onwards)
- Well being and journey insurance coverage are required
The worth of networking at origin
For a lot of roasters and inexperienced consumers, the expertise of attending an origin journey is an unforgettable one. In the beginning, it permits them to deepen their understanding of the availability chain and occasional manufacturing. Furthermore, it offers them with direct entry to the individuals liable for rising, promoting, and exporting espresso.
In the course of the PRF Guatemala STE, attendees can take part in deep, significant, and generally difficult discussions with producers, exporters, and different provide chain stakeholders. Finally, this is likely one of the most rewarding and mutually useful methods to construct long-term relationships by means of which attendees should purchase completely different coffees for years.
This might imply discovering an exporter who can pre-finance shipments and deal with logistics, discussing consolidate a container with different roasters, or shopping for espresso Freight On Board (FOB).
As a part of the expertise, attendees can even meet a few of Guatemala’s main producers, and see first-hand how they develop, harvest, and course of their espresso.
Sourcing new coffees
One other main a part of origin journeys is on the lookout for new coffees. Whether or not roasters are looking for completely different varieties and processing strategies, a dependable new base for an espresso mix, or a contest espresso, occasions just like the STE are among the best methods to seek out new choices.
Jason Kew is the founding father of Espresso Venture China, and was a PRF Colombia 2023 STE visitor.
“Forest Espresso’s farm was wonderful, they usually have been nice hosts with a tremendous location and meals,” he says. “Cupping with the producers was a great expertise, the farm excursions have been pleasant, and there are infinite alternatives for future enterprise. We need to introduce the model within the Chinese language market.”
Moreover, as roasters and inexperienced consumers will attend cuppings organised with and by producers on the PRF Guatemala STE, there can be loads of alternatives to study extra about specific coffees they’re interested by buying.
Yearly, increasingly more roasters and inexperienced consumers are understanding the worth of attending origin journeys to develop their companies and develop their networks.
A whole bunch of roasters have attended STE over time and established lifelong partnerships with producers from outstanding origin nations. To search out out extra about tickets for the STE, you’ll find extra data right here.
You possibly can keep updated with all bulletins for PRF Guatemala right here, or by subscribing to the publication right here.
Please be aware: The STE ticket doesn’t embody any lodging for the nights of 6, 7 & 8 March. It additionally covers no prices as soon as attendees return to Guatemala Metropolis after the STE.
Picture credit: Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera
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