ed+u Class 2 – coffee is: agriculture

Join us for the launch of our brand-new ed+u class, coffee is: agriculture, part 2 of a six-part series that examines the industry in broad strokes. This class is all about coffee as an agricultural product, diving into the tasks of coffee production. Coming July 8th.

A Special Congratulations to Andrew on his Sprudge Twenty Nomination

We’re excited to congratulate Andrew on his nomination into The Sprudge Twenty Class of 2024. Each year, Sprudge and Pacific Barista Series recognize those in the industry who helped build the coffee culture of the 21st century. We’re proud to see Cafe Imports founder Andrew Miller made the shortlist.

World of Coffee Copenhagen Roundup

Find us on the World of Coffee show floor in Copenhagen June 27-29. We’ll be brewing alongside our friends from several guest roasters, holding a cupping, and hosting a happy hour. Check out our full schedule of events here. It’s sure to be a busy and fun weekend!

Watch our latest webinar, Meet the Coffee Rose

Check out our recent Coffee Rose webinar! Hear from our own Ian Fretheim (Director of Sensory Analysis and lead creator of the Coffee Rose) as he dives into the motivation behind the Rose, how it was created, and, of course, shows you how to use it for your own cuppings.

Genesis Coffee Sourcing of Huila, Colombia

Two years ago, Genesis Coffee Sourcing was founded by a coalition of professional cuppers and producers to support producers and associations in three towns: Asociación Los Naranjos in San Agustín, Asociación Primaveral in Acevedo, and a collective of producers in Tarqui. The founders recognized the importance of collective bargaining amidst rising uncertainty and competition after the pandemic. Huila producers needed more oversight of their coffee’s commercialization, and Genesis would create the infrastructure to do so. Genesis developed a company plan, communicated it to the area’s producers, and presented it to Cafe Imports – a plan that would improve the buying we’ve been doing in this area for years. Read more about the history and goals of Genesis here.

A Look at Today’s Coffee Market

Uncertainty in the coffee market is a familiar territory, especially after the past few years of an inverted landscape. However, recent concerns over C-Market prices have sparked many questions and conversations among our team and customers. Arabica prices have rallied to the highest we have seen in just over two years, and we would like to provide some insight into what might be happening in the market. Read on to learn more about the current market from Cafe Imports’s position analyst Shannon Elder.

Meet The Coffee Rose

Last year, we announced the Coffee Rose after three years of designing, developing, and testing it extensively in our sensory labs. Since then, we’ve used The Rose to evaluate every single coffee sample brewed on our lab’s tables, fine-tuning its functionalities, and eager to release it to you.

The Cafe Imports Sensory Team recently released a public version of the Coffee Rose. This release is free to use, optimized for mobile, and easy to learn. It places the Cafe Imports’ coffee language and cupping methodology right in your hands. We hope you take The Coffee Rose and run with it – cup coffees, test its function and features, and then provide us with your invaluable feedback.

SCA Expo 2024 Roundup

SCA Expo 2024 is right around the corner! Check out our round up of all the happenings at our booth and around Chicago. We can’t wait to see you there!

Introducing India, Bolivia, & Flores Origin Pages

As we continue to add exciting new coffees to our offering list, we believe it is equally important to bolster the digital resources we have supporting the countries we source on the ground in. We recently added origin pages for Bolivia, India, and Flores to our site.

2023 Wrapped & Strapped is here

How many pounds of coffee total did you order in 2023? What was your top origin? How many unique coffees did you sample? Find out in your 2023 Wrapped & Strapped!

Common Sensory Errors – An Introduction

In sensory analysis, common physiological and psychological sensory errors should be accounted for when designing cupping protocols. Welcome to a new blog series by Ian Fretheim, Director of Sensory Analysis, diving into how we control for these common sensory errors.

Proudly Bringing You Bird Friendly Coffees

We’re excited to announce that Cafe Imports is now certified to sell Smithsonian Bird Friendly coffees, produced by farmers committed to conserving the habitats of around 200 species of migratory songbirds.

Find Us in Barista Magazine: WCP Trip Recap

Eleven travelers met in the Bogota airport early on Monday, September 11th. Five were Cafe Imports staff. The other six represented Ruby Coffee Roasters, Jibbi.Littles Coffee Roasters, City Market Coffee Roasters, Patriot Coffee, and Salto Coffee. They met for a five-day sourcing tour designed to help roasters cultivate and sustain genuine buyer-farmer partnerships with producers and cooperatives participating in our Women Coffee Producer Program.

Cafe Imports is now B Corp Certified

Another step toward increasing the quality of life for all those involved in coffee. We proudly announce that Cafe Imports is now a certified B Corporation.

Podcast: Water in Food with Ian Fretheim

This past week our Director of Sensory Analysis, Ian Fretheim, joined Zachary Cartwright as a guest on his podcast “Water in Food.” The two dove into a discussion on the role water plays in specialty green coffee, exploring findings from our sensory team’s long-term study on water activity (Aw), talking about sensory science as it relates to coffee, and getting excited about the future of cupping with our new Coffee Rose.