At Nemesis, we’ve worked towards being boots on ground at origin and, in our time, have developed lasting relationships with our farming partners. The process has humbled us, the people, their livelihoods, and their legacy. On this journey, we feel our role is one only of an intermediary.
The coffee and its quality are paramount. Still, it’s essential we take a step back, separate it from the product and give you the humanity in it that we’ve come to know to create a better understanding and continue working towards achieving more honest equity amongst all of us.
Coffee has become so much more than what’s in the cup. It’s our commitment to honor the people. The purpose of this document is to analyze the quantitative and qualitative aspects of how we think about sourcing coffee.
1. TRANSPARENCY
Sharing information is one of the core elements of transparency. We share information to show evidence of continuous improvement, to hold ourselves accountable for buying coffee based on the true cost of production plus a livable margin for the producers - dictated by them, not us.
Without big words and commitments or popular buzzwords, we constantly strive to pay respectfully, never bargain, and hold The Pledge vision close to our hearts:
“Ensure a sustainable supply of coffee by working towards a living income for producers so they will continue to invest in the future of their businesses.”
Therefore we have submitted our 2020/2021 Transparency Report to The Pledge, which can be found and downloaded below. It includes all coffees Nemesis purchased for the 2021 season with complete details about pricing, quantity, and more.
2. STRATEGY
We approach each of our partners individually and sustain a steady supply chain of quality coffee throughout the year. We strive to learn and better understand the challenges faced by producers and create long-term development plans.
As an industry, the specialty coffee movement has a significant and personal impact with a one-to-one approach, which is necessary and beautiful. Still, we can't solely fix the global climate change problem. Observing year on year and talking with our partners, we decided to take a step towards a global solution. We won't stop pursuing the small battles that hopefully win the war.
As a part of the agricultural industry, we feel roasters are obligated to help eliminate the risks that producers face each year in every country.
If, like us, you feel there is value to these actions to help prolong the longevity of coffee farming communities and the industry as a whole. We kindly ask you to consider supporting World Coffee Research initiatives:
3. COMMITMENT
The relationships we create work toward establishing value for their product. Direct Trade can help to develop farms and improve equipment, quality control, and overall processes. A better understanding of the impact of these updated protocols on the final result will benefit both the producers, ourselves, and ultimately the consumer, creating a more equitable supply chain.
We build long-term relationships with producers, providing them with the stability and risk mitigation needed to invest in their operation and product quality. Many roasters buy from different vendors annually, depending on quality.
Nemesis is sharing purchase intentions with suppliers ahead of time, allowing everyone to better plan costs.
In addition to paying premium prices, we forward contract most of our purchases. That means we enter into a contract to buy the coffee before it leaves its country of origin, in many cases before the coffee harvest.
Click below to become a partner of Nemesis:
Sourcing in numbers
Starting in Green Coffee buying after the pandemic was a logistic and economic challenge. Still, we knew it was imperative to meet and greet our partners at origin to commit to the small volumes a new upcoming roastery can purchase. We visited 16 farms in 6 countries and have had countless inspirational, often hard and challenging, conversations with real human beings that we respect and cherish.
Selected Nemesis Partnerships
Mococa, BRAZIL
FAF - Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza
Brief
The Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza coffee plantation has existed since 1850. Since 2002 Marcos, Silvia, and Felipe Croce have been working on transforming the farm into a model of sustainable organic agriculture. FAF's Mission is to be a socially, environmentally, and economically Sustainable Farm - a model that sows the seeds of sustainability for the Individual, the Family, the Business community, and local society as a whole.
What we buy
Sparkling, juicy, citrusy washed Catuai's from Francisco Bermond located in Espirito Santo and pulped natural Sumatrans from Luciano Vicente. FAF has an extensive list of coffees that will change your perception of "Brazilian coffee."
Interesting facts
In 2008 FAF won the Sustainability award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America. Today Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza is a farm, a network of farmers, and a center for coffee studies.
Santa Barbara, HONDURAS
Beneficio San Vicente
Brief
Coffees from Santa Barbara never disappoint: they are some of the most complex and unique of our offerings, year after year. While San Vicente is both a commercial and specialty coffee exporter, it is through the efforts of Benjamin Paz and his cousin Arturo Paz that we see clear developments in San Vicente's specialty program season after season.
What we buy
We work with smallholder producers focusing on old varieties such as Pacas, Bourbon, Parainema, and Catuai. Our purchases can also reflect green coffee blends, perfectly suitable for espresso, consisting of many small microlots milled by Beneficio San Vicente. We directly work with Benjamin Paz, Eduin Fernandez, Angel Arturo Paz, and Rene Fernandez.
Interesting facts
In 2006, after the first Cup of Excellence auction in Santa Barbara, the approach toward specialty coffee exploded in the region, now thriving at around 400+ specialty coffee growers.
Brunca, COSTA RICA
100Libras / CoopeAgri
Brief
100 Libras offers us various original coffees from Brunca, West Valley, Central Valley, and Tarrazu. Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) has decreased processing facility water consumption by around 90% since the 1990s. Therefore this contributed to new processes perfected in Costa Rica like hydro honey, anaerobic honey, or aerobic honey.
What we buy
We closely work with Origenes farm, Don Danilo Salazar from Los Cipreses, Don Senel Campos and Corazon de Jesus - Jhon Alvarado. Newest addition for us is Origenes where we have committed to the whole SL28 plot.
Interesting facts
One production detail specific to Costa Rica is how coffee is measured by volume rather than weight. Each mill has a receiving area, where coffee cherries are brought and deposited into metal boxes called cajuelas, or "trunks." Twenty cajuelas equals roughly one fanega, the 100-pound unit of measure in which producer receipts are written.
Huila, COLOMBIA
ELIAS PARRA ROA - FINCA TAMANA
Brief
Ten years after purchasing his farm, Elias continues to be driven by the goals which were fundamental at the beginning of his farming journey - to make Finca Tamana a farm that could consistently produce the greatest coffees in Colombia while also reducing environmental impact.
What we buy
Castillo and Variedad Colombia varieties. These two varieties highlight the coffees' best attributes: incredible sweetness, complexity, round acidity, and unique flavors. In 2020 we bought a red Castillo. This year we are releasing an orange Castillo.
Interesting facts
After de-pulping, the parchment coffee with the mucilage is fermented for 14-16 hours overnight in clean stainless steel tanks. The fermentation is ended when the mucilage is easy to clean off, but before negative fermentation flavors can influence the coffee's profile.
The coffee is washed in clean water using an eco-mill, a mechanical mucilage remover. The eco-mill reduces water waste from an average of 50-100 liters per kilo of coffee with traditional washing methods to only 0.5 – 1 liter per kilo. After washing, the coffees are soaked for 24 hours in clean water in tiled cement tanks. All floaters (beans with low density) are removed during washing and soaking.
Karnataka, India
ASHOK PATRE - RATNAGIRI ESTATE
Brief
Ratnagiri Estate is Nemesis' partner coffee farm owned and operated by Ashok Patre. Located in an environmentally abundant corner of the majestic South Indian Western Ghats near Bababudangiri, where Indian coffee originated, "Ratnagiri" literally means "Pearl Mountains." The dense silver oak trees tower over the remarkably flavorful, shade-grown coffee giving a silvery hue to the surrounding hillsides.
What we buy
We produce our own lots at the farm and use stainless steel tanks and experimental processing. Many lots are either interesting varieties or modern processing methods. We tend to experiment with added yeast, pH levels, Brix content, and variety. In 2021 we produced our first Batian and Ruiru 11 varieties, separating lots, creating a unique "Kenyan" like coffee from Ashok's farm.
Interesting facts
Damian has worked with Ashok since 2018. In 2020, they tightened their cooperation and became partners. Since then, each year, we have had lots produced solely for Nemesis, independently from all other lots available from Ratnagiri Estate.
Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, NICARAGUA
CLAUDIA LOVO - FINCA EL ARBOL
Brief
From an idea to realization. Finca El Arbol, started by four coffee professionals, began its journey in 2015, having the very first harvest in 2016. We are lucky to call Claudia Lovo, Tim Willems, and Per Nordby our friends. Bridazul - Claudia and Tims' company helps develop programs for a handful of farmers, focusing on sustainable agricultural practices. Finca El Arbol also produces coffee for Sasa Sestic, a part owner.
What we buy
We were very eager to put our hands on our favorite variety from Nicaragua - Maracaturra, a naturally occurring hybrid from Brazil, discovered in the early 1800.
Interesting facts
Bridazul organizes fundraisers for the producers to elevate their practices, buy equipment or learn how to develop better quality programs.
Information about their most active program can be found under this link.
We encourage you to be a part of that transition!
Bouqete, Chiriquí, PANAMA
JOSÉ LUTTRELL - FINCA CAÑAS VERDES
Brief
"Abu Coffee" is a company named to honor the memory of José Guillermo Luttrell Tedman, a third-generation coffee producer from Boquete, Chiriqui in Panama.
José, or "Abu" (short for Abuelo, or Grandfather in Spanish) as his grandchildren called him, dreamed of producing the best and most balanced coffee and worked hard to raise this varietal of Gesha to the highest standards of quality.
What we buy
Abu Coffee is a Green Tip Gesha varietal cultivated at Finca Cañas Verdes in the region of Cañas Verdes, Boquete, where the humid and rainy microclimate is typical for a tropical forest. Coffee trees are grown at about 1550 m.a.s.l. on the slopes of the Volcán Barú National Park, which are fertile, well-drained, and volcanic in origin with deep soils enriched with organic content. What we buy are always two lots:
NATURAL - hand collected in the optimum maturation point and then hand-sorted. Anaerobic dry process for 216 hours and sun-dried on raised beds for 25 days.
WASHED - a double phase anaerobic process where the coffee cherries are de-pulped and "dry fermented" for up to 30 hours before being fully hand-washed with clean mountain water. Once fully washed, it is dried on raised beds for 15 days.
Interesting facts
The story of Gesha coffee reaches back to 1936, the time of a British colony in Abyssinia. Captain Richard Whalley, a Consul for the Bench Maji region, was tasked with collecting 10 pounds of coffee seeds from the area around Gesha Mountain in what is now Ethiopia.
LOGISTICS
IMPORTING PARTNERS
NEMESIS itself directly imports coffee from Costa Rica, Panama and partially from India, otherwise we work with:
- SUCAFINA SPECIALTY NA
- WCCT VANCOUVER
- FAIRFIELD TRADING LLC
- FAF
EXPORTING PARTNERS
- COOPEAGRI / 100LIBRAS / EWA
- SUCAFINA
- RATNAGIRI INTERNATIONAL
- METAD PLC
- KENYACOF / KAHAWA BORA