Please click on the countries below to learn more
Any grade mentioned with zephyr+ tagged denotes a closely cupped preparation with a little something extra in the cup, some lagniappe if you will. Many will enter, few will win.
For all its rich coffee culture, Costa Rica is a shrinking supplier and has been for years, focusing on quality and developing demand outside commercial channels. In 2011 exports reached just 1.2m bags, down from over 2m a decade before. Better get there early if you want the good stuff.
For quite some time, we’ve been loyal to a few private mills that have been loyal to us. Their top blends bring back the same buyers each year. Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance certified coffees of the non-organic variety are readily available.
Quiet, consistent. El Salvador is value. A healthy percentage of Bourbon and Typica means sweet and smooth, and dry harvest conditions are a clean cup’s best friend. The few private estates, exporters and cooperatives that we work with know our types well and consistently exceed expectations. El Salvador is not to be overlooked.
If only all coffee was as good as a top Guatemalan. Perhaps Central America’s most complete cup, a true top flight Guat is deep and rich, bright and crisp, round and full... now you’ve got us going.
ZGC’s supplier list is short and sweet, focusing on the estates, exporters and cooperatives that have maintained their consistency through market volatility and challenging crops experienced the last few years.
“Honduras” has been synonymous with “potential” for as long as specialty can remember. Remember? Unfortunately, limited processing capacity in a growing origin, the wet parchment trade and long layovers in San Pedro Sula confound the best of intentions. Only with some upstream reach can you rest assured.
Louis Dreyfus entered Honduras just in time for the 2011/2012 crop, and we couldn’t be happier. The next evolution in our origination efforts involves working more closely with estates and small producers, replicating what we’ve done elsewhere, adding value along the chain and contributing to processing capacity and the supply base. If you build it, they will come.
The Land of Lakes and Volcanoes. We can say that without being trite because we’ve been there, lived there and fallen in love with the place. Our Nicaraguan estate relationships are strong and represent the best of what Central America can offer in terms of conservation, cultivation, processing and a consistent quality profile. Outside of estates, cooperatives maintain a major presence and we partner with a few of the best to provide Fair Trade and Fair Trade Organic to roasters in the US, Canada and Europe.
Panama is tiny in annual production, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in the cup. Our Panamas come from small gemlike farms with mills that are watched over by proud families who have worked the same land for generations. Micromills have been the status quo here from day one. Flavor profiles range from the heady jasmine and citrus notes of the famous Gesha coffees to the sweet, lush, full-bodied cups characteristic of the other (less hyped but just as enjoyable) varietals grown here. Get it while you can. Coffee farms continue to be lost in this idyllic spot of eternal spring.
Seems our little secret has gotten out. LD’s masterpiece of a mill sits high and dry in Perote’s cool climes, far from the swamp that is Veracruz. Coffee keeps through the year, and shiny new equipment means tight preparations and consistent delivery even late in the season. Mexican coffee is back.
Having a local team also means having greater access to small producer groups. We’ve been able to build the sustainable supply base through direct investment, harvest financing and technical support for a handful of cooperatives in Chiapas. It’s a successful model that we’re hoping to replicate elsewhere.
Copyright © 2011 Zephyr Green Coffee LLC
Zephyr New Orleans
TOLL FREE: 877-569-1595
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL: 504-569-1595
FAX: 504-569-1598
EMAIL US: zephyrinfo@ldcom.com