Speciality Single Origin Coffee

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Coffee, when treated as a commodity, is defined as a uniform product that is interchangeable with another coffee of the same type. This makes up the majority of coffee consumed around the world. Commodity coffee is traded on the New York Coffee Exchange, and the price is set on the world market without regard to intrinsic coffee quality.

Commodity coffee offers neutral or negative flavour attributes without provenance, which means buyers switch to the lowest price offer on the market with no commitment to long-term relationships.

Volatile pricing means farmers cannot plan for their future.

The Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) defines Speciality Coffees as those with positive flavour attributes, and which are assigned a score of 80+ based on numerous attributes which contribute to the taste. These evaluations are based on fixed criteria which are used through the speciality coffee industry. At Windsor Coffee Co we only buy and source Speciality Grade, 100 per cent Arabica, and select our coffees through a careful quality evaluation which includes tastings (cuppings) and farm visits.

Speciality grade coffee production needs more investment than commodity coffee, as it is often grown on higher altitudes with steep slopes which are difficult to clamber up. Care and attention to detail is required through the season. Hand-picking is needed to select perfectly ripe cherries. Processing must be carried out with exceptional care. Yield is lower as low quality and defects are removed.

Danilo Barbosa is the owner and manager of Cachoeria Farm; his first coffee harvest was 79/80 crops. The success led him to develop the activity and growth of the explored area, acquirement of new farms and introduction of new harvest technologies were introduced. This led to increases in high-quality coffee production. Nowadays, Danillo looks after 490 hectares of coffee plantation with his sons and the quality control team. For the past two years, Danillo and his team have concentrated countless efforts on the improvement of the production processes and management. Danilo has always shown concern for the environment and has always taken care of nature, today he adds more than 186 hectares of the nature reserve. At the present, plans are been executed in order to certify the properties, to learn more on how to preserve the environment and to produce 100% sustainable coffee.

Only two varietals of bean can be found on Danilo’s farm, red catuai & yellow catuai. Once the coffee has been harvested, Danilo & his team then process the coffee using either a natural or natural fermented process. Danillo produces some of the highest quality coffee beans in Brazil and we are lucky to partner with the family, buying directly the best beans available.

There are few countries more famous for coffee production than Colombia. Coffee from Colombia is known for its rich, mild flavour which is a result of the perfect climate and beans that are grown. Colombia is one of the few countries that only grows Arabica beans, which besides climate and elevation, is why Colombian coffee is considered higher quality.

Within Colombia, Huila is an exceptional, specialty coffee producing region. The Huila is known for its amazing quality of coffees.  Farmers regularly produce Cup of Excellence-winning lots, the gold standard for coffee beans, and a mecca for coffee roasters like us, this is one of our favourite coffee origins, thanks to its bright acidity, sweetness, and strong fruity profile.  It’s the fruity edge and lack of bitterness to Huila coffee that really helps set it apart from other coffees from Colombia. 

Working directly with the Farmer, we choose and source the best beans from harvest within the Huila region, which has all the attributes that are needed to produce an exceptional coffee. Volcanic soils, high altitude, plenty of rainfall and forests that provide shade. We support the traditional farming methods which are still used to produce this world renowned high quality coffee along with the farmer, whom we buy from directly.