It’s been a quiet month for us as usual with July being the time of year when most of Norway goes on holiday, but surprisingly we have quite a few updates for you to know about these upcoming weeks. Here we go…
What you missed:
– At the end of June, we published our latest 2018 transparency report in conjunction with the announcement of our participation of The Pledge (a worldwide initiative started by fellow roasters with the aim of trying to establish a common code for transparency reporting in the coffee industry). Although we have been publishing transparency reports since 2010 alongside a few other roasters, I feel that it is becoming more and more important to put pressure on coffee roasters, exporters and importers to become more transparent. Coffee farmers are making less and less money yet the high quality coffee industry has been talking about transparency and its importance for many years. Still there are very few companies willing to be transparent about what and how they buy coffees. That is why I think The Pledge is great. If you talk about transparency then there should be no reason not to sign The Pledge and actually be transparent.
There are a few new additions in the 2018 report from previous years. Based on the new “Pledge” requirements, I have added a few extra sections. In our blog post I am explaining a bit more in depth about: FOB Prices, Farmgate Prices and Commodity Prices, Origin Countries, Specific Farms, Purchase History, Who we actually buy from, What lots we buy and their SCA cup score, Total Quantity of Coffee Bought and Average FOB Price. So if you are interested in the economics of the coffee industry and want to know more about the business behind the coffee in your cup, read the full report on our blog post here.
– My two books, Finca Tamana and Coffee with Tim Wendelboe are now available in digital format for purchase on our webshop.
– We are soon running out of the Kapsokisio from Kenya and SL28 cultivar from Finca Tamana. Make sure to place your orders online if you are a fan of these coffees or want to try them out. We ship worldwide.
What’s next:
– Watch our latest episode of Coffee Subscription Tasting with Friends, with my guest this month, one of our roasters and baristas, Fotis Daflas. If you haven’t already subscribed to our coffee or are interested in finding out the benefits, check out the link below.
– I will be travelling to Colombia for 3 weeks this month to visit my dear friend Elias Roa in Finca Tamana and taste through samples of his latest harvest and pick the lots we want to buy. Naturally, I will also be spending time working hard on my own farm, Finca El Suelo, which is right next door to Elias’. Follow my live updates on Instagram: @timwendelboe, @fincaelsuelo.
– We have an exclusive lot of Bourbon Elite coffee produced by Gilberto Baraona in El Salvador for the Lava Group here in Oslo. So drop by one of their restaurants to have a cup freshly brewed by their team or pick up a retail bag from their shelves.
– We will be collaborating with Fuglen Oslo, who are hosting this year’s Norwegian Aeropress Competition at their roastery on the 1st of September. Alongside the competition will be a mini coffee festival and pop up brew bars by participating roasters. Link to ticket sales will be announced on our Instagram soon. Stay tuned.
– Finally, our beloved barista Rikke will be leaving us this month to pursue new opportunities (still in the FB space) here in Oslo. We wish her the best of luck and a massive thank you for the last few years’ of hard work and excellent customer service. As a final farewell, we have decided to focus on her for this month’s Instagram Team Takeover this coming Friday. Meanwhile, you can also read our interview with her on our blog.
Thank you for your continued interest in who we are and what we do.
Tim & Co.