We won a 2023 Good Food Award!

We would've shaken our heads in disbelief if you told us five years ago we would win a GFA for a Sumatran coffee. Award-winning coffees are often rare varieties like Geishas, grown on micro-lots owned by wealthy producers in Colombia, Panama, and Costa Rica. 

Ribang Gayo is a cooperative coffee, meaning it is grown by several hundred farmers in a specific region who all brought their cherries to a central location for processing. Asman Arianto founded the Ribang Gayo cooperative in 2018 to unite and support farm workers in Pantan Musara, many of whom evacuated Sinabung Berastagi in North Sumatra after a long-dormant volcano became continuously active again in 2013.

 

Cooperatives are kind of like unions for farmers; they advocate for workers, support and train them, and pay premium prices for lots. They are common in places like Sumatra, Ethiopia, and Burundi, where coffee farms are small and individual farmers typically have limited access to processing equipment.  

 

We are always searching for high-quality Asian coffees. We believe an abundance of great coffee grows there, though you won't find them on every roaster's lineup. For years, this area of the world has been traditionally overlooked in favor of more well-known specialty origins like Brazil and Colombia. Until now.

 

On all accounts, Ribang Gayo surprised us; We'd never tasted a natural-processed Indonesian coffee this clean, sweet, and fruity. We tasted flavors of pink bubblegum, mango, banana, pineapple, nectar, and blackberry. We chose this coffee because it checked all our boxes: it's unique, traceable, and freakin' delicious.

As we settle back into Austin, we're motivated to consider what constitutes "good" coffee. Our industry is global and complex. There are a lot of players, a lot of moving parts. We're working across cultures and time zones, wrestling with language barriers, market instability, and a global climate crisis, all to get coffee from point A to Texas. Needless to say, we don't do it because it's easy. 

We promise never to purchase a coffee simply because it tastes good on the cupping table. We're committed to digging deep for farm information, traveling when it's possible, asking tough questions, and choosing to buy specialty coffees that provide value at every step of the supply chain. 

So thank YOU for helping us make good in our community and beyond. Together we can drink good coffee for years to come. Keep your eyes out for a fresh harvest of Ribang Gayo Natural this summer. We can't wait for you to taste this!