Newsletter Image:

This year we wanted to highlight parts of the coffee value chain; from seed to cup!

Our first picture is one of our coffee bags. We direct import Specialty Strictly High Grow from Honduras, the hessian sacks are branded with Caribe Coffee Co. this proves our involvement right at the source of production, something we are very proud of. The bags are 20kg, marked with the stars of the Honduran flag and the source/location of the coffee. We sell the bags to raise money that goes into our #TippingNotShipping campaign, the bags are usually used to grow potatoes or are upcycled into lamp shades, chair covers or bags.

Fact:

Did you know that Honduras has it's very own Las Vegas? Not a gambling zone but the actual name, it's more of a town with population less than 18,000 to the West of the country. The coffee of this region tends to be more standard rather than Specialty so sadly it's unlikely we will ever will a "Las Vegas" Caribe Coffee.

What's going on?:

For those interested in coffee economy, trends and consumerism. There are some mildly interesting articles out this month. YouGov looked at coffee drinking amongst the different generations, Gen Zs (born 2000 +) are starting to impact coffee trends. We loved World Coffee Portal reflections on Coffee as a commodity compared with wine; "these globally savoured beverages are close companions travelling very different paths". Our vision for coffee is to become more niche allowing producers more control over prices, for too long the corporates have had too much control leaving too many struggling.

Foodies, If you haven't already been, we can't recommend enough Bao Bar, Chillingham Road. This tiny but mighty Asian food restaurant is a 5 STAR for us both quality of food and service were top notch.

Bookings (a must) via Insta @BaoBar_Newcastle.

Now that things are opening up, we have our trips organised to go see Theo Paphitis after winning Small Business Sunday (Birmingham February) and Elle has been invited to the House of Lords in March to celebrate her entry onto the "I also 100 Top Female Entrepreneurs 2021". Covid prevented both of these trips last year and we are looking forward to catching up - watch this space for the pics!