Sourcing
Responsibly Sourced - Wickedly Roasted.
At Wicked Joe it is our mission to produce exceptional coffees, using sustainable business practices from crop to cup. By purchasing from Organic certified farms and co-ops we can ensure just that. All our coffees are grown under environmentally friendly conditions - honoring traditional farming practices, enhancing the quality of the crops, and preserving a healthy surrounding ecosystem for future generations to come. We have had the privilege of being able to visit most of our coffee partners from around the globe. Our single origin coffees are a result of these long lasting relationships and we hope to tell more about these special people, places and cooperatives below.
Colombia
Tolima is one of the 32 departments of Colombia, located in the Andean region, the center-west of the country. Colombian coffee has a unique flavor due to it's growing conditions and processing methods. High quality Arabica beans are grown at high altitudes then are processed naturally, by hand, on small farms. Our Single Origin Colombian Tolima is produced by a cooperative of indigenous coffee producers from the Nasa Paez community in La Palmera. The Co-op was founded to reduce production cost and increase production of specialty coffees. They have maintained Fair Trade and Organic Certifications since 2016 and sort their harvests into these categories. The Co-op continues to grow and looks forward to investing more in product quality and social programs for local children.
Ethiopia
Coffee production in Ethiopia is a long standing tradition that dates back dozens of centuries. Ethiopia is where the coffee plant Arabica originates. The world's oldest coffee, Ethiopia Sidamo is famous for it's distinctive wild and tangy aroma, and subtle chocolate undertones. This Sidamo is naturally processed, which also enhances its fruity and floral notes. Ethiopian coffee accounts for more than 3% of the global coffee market and our Sidamo is sourced from family owned farms in the Shanta Golba Cooperative located in the Bensa district. This cooperative is part of the Sidamo Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union that was formed in 2001. SCFCU is made up of more that 45 cooperatives with more than 80,000 producers and has a mission to support sustainable coffee production in the Sidamo region.
Guatemala
Located in the Huehuetenago region of Guatemala, exists the Guaya'b Civil Asociacion. Guay'b is a term from the Mayan language Popti' which means "mutual support". Like their ancestors, this traditional supportive approach now parallels with current operations which sees solidarity in their groups joint efforts to combine volumes and qualities of competitive coffee products together in the increasingly demanding coffee market. Currently, this group has over 775 members, a majority which come from indigenous decent. Guaya'b was established in 1998 and then joined the Fair Trade movement in 2000 to ensure premiums for their farmers that have created a more stable economy and decreased the rate of migration from the area. They have many programs funded by the premiums including medical insurance for all their members and their families. Many of them grow additional crops such as peanuts, fruit or peppers to sell at markets for extra income. In 2018, some of our team travel to Guaya'b to host a workshop for the cooperative. We led three classes, sample roasting, coffee cupping and coffee brewing. It was a life-changing experience for our team to see some of the farmers tasting their coffee brewed for the first time. Returning again in 2023 our team continued to build our relationship with this growing community of coffee farmers, which in the last year alone has added 100 new farming families to their group. Even as this community grows they continue to vote as a collective on how Fair Trade premiums, budgets and resources should be allocated, demonstrating how powerful a community can truly be.
Honduras
Coffee has become one of the few major Honduran export success stories by targeting socially and quality conscious consumers. Marcala, in southwest Honduras, has been famous for coffee production since the early 20th century thanks to all the environmental factors it has on it's side - great soil, high altitude, perfect climate and abundant shade. The Honduran Central Coffee Cooperative is a network of many cooperatives representing over 6,000 small to medium scale coffee growers and their families. CCCH assures small producers greater leverage in dealings with coffee purchasers and promotes social programs with particular attention to women. The organization also seeks a Honduran coffee policy that benefits the national producing sector. In Honduras, coffee is the main export product and there are over 2 million people that are directly or indirectly involved with this production industry.
Peru
The territory of Peru offers a great diversity of climates, soils and sunlight and is an ideal scene for the cultivation of the Arabica coffee tree. Currently, Peru is one of the top fifteen world coffee exporters. There are three prominent coffee growing areas located on the eastern slopes of the Andes, and are Chanchamayo, the Amazonas and the San Martin regions. The Chanchamayo region is one of the most important coffee growing regions, producing over 40% of Peru's total production. In 2022, members of our Wicked Joe team were humbled by their experiences while visiting with one of our producers at Las Damas de San Ignatio of COOPAFSI. Having been long term partners in the coffee industry, it was the first time we got to meet the women responsible for the growth and production of coffee within their co-op; this includes their female farmers, traders, quality control graders, financial advisors, agronomists, managers and presidents. It was indeed impressive to witness the impact this group has on sustainability efforts and economic empowerment. COOPAFSI's emphasis on empowering female producers is suggested to strengthen the general community with members, as it gives women financial control at a family-level, providing predictable cash flow. This investment hopes to encourage long term participation and improve the industry through values of sustainability and quality that can be passed on for generations. The women of Las Damas prioritize education in their communities, especially programs for youth. New schools, better farming practices and increased access to equipment are just some of the resources that COOPAFSI continues to offer it's members.
Sumatra
Sumatra, an island in western Indonesia known in ancient times as the "Island of Gold", is the sixth largest island in the world, but probably the least visited. The Dutch brought coffee from Yirgacheffe to Indonesia in the late 17th century. We source this coffee from the fine folks at the Ketiara Cooperative, which is a women led cooperative that is known for it's dedication to quality and passion for the community. Located in the Gayo Highlands of Sumatra, Ketiara was founded in 2009 and joined the Fair Trade movement in 2011, and is one of the most well known and respected cooperatives in the region. Their dedication to excellence and innovation has resulted in consistently delicious coffee. The Ketiara cooperative is made up of over 50% women who work hard to create opportunities for themselves and others in the surrounding community. They invest a portion of their Fair Trade premiums directly into the farms to improve productivity and maintain quality. Other initiatives include improving health, education, public infrastructure and helping to protect the ecosystem of the nearby Leuser National Park.
