Education | Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffees

The Impact of the EU Deforestation Regulation on the Global Coffee Trade

6/6/2025

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is reshaping the global coffee trade. Enacted to reduce the EU's contribution to global deforestation, this regulation requires that raw materials entering or leaving the EU market be deforestation-free, meaning they cannot come from lands that were deforested after December 31, 2020. However, the regulation's stringent requirements, including detailed traceability and geolocation, are posing significant technological challenges for developing countries, where smallholder farmers dominate production.

Many smallholder farmers lack the necessary technological infrastructure and resources to comply with the EU's traceability requirements. In some coffee-producing areas in Ethiopia and Burundi, for example, there is little to no internet access, putting them at risk of exclusion from one of the world's largest markets. Additionally, importers are stockpiling coffee to avoid disruptions, which could drive up prices and overwhelm global supply chains as the regulation approaches full implementation in December 2025.

Why does the term "Ethiopian Heirloom" hinder the progress of specialty coffee?

5/22/2025

The term "Ethiopian Heirloom" is often considered a catch-all term for Ethiopia's diverse coffee varieties, evoking a sense of tradition and mysticism. However, we have argued for several years that its continued use obscures transparency, undermines traceability, and limits the specialty coffee industry's ability to fully appreciate Ethiopia's genetic diversity.

Proponents of the term "Ethiopian Heirloom" claim that it reflects the complex and indigenous nature of Ethiopian coffee varieties. However, this broad term risks oversimplifying a rich genetic landscape. Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, is home to between 6,000 and 10,000 distinct varieties, many of which have been studied and catalogued, such as JARC varieties (e.g., 74110, 74112) or regional landraces like Kurume and Dega. Labelling them as "Heirloom" blurs crucial distinctions in flavour, yield, and disease resistance that roasters and farmers need to make informed decisions.

Update on the New Ethiopian Harvest

5/16/2025

The new Ethiopian harvest is now complete and ready for shipment. We are excited to see our Pre-Shipment Samples (PSS) on their way. Our Quality Control team in Budapest will begin testing shortly, and once the coffees have been cupped and recorded, we will begin sending samples to European roasters upon request. As always, we are committed to transparency and quality, ensuring early access to the season's most promising lots.

Some interesting topics from this harvest:

Why have we been disappointed again with anaerobic coffees in Ethiopia?

In recent harvests, we have cupped a growing number of experimental Ethiopian coffees. While these efforts are ambitious, we have often found inconsistent results, sometimes overshadowing the character of the origin with overwhelming lactic notes or an excess of quakers. For us, these experimental lots have not lived up to expectations, not to mention the prohibitive prices set by the government.

New Ethiopian Harvest: A perfect balance between tradition and innovation.

4/24/2025

Cupping and selecting Ethiopian coffees is a challenging but essential process to ensure we choose the best lots available for each harvest. This season, we have placed a strong emphasis on natural processed coffees, all carefully selected through a rigorous cupping process, green coffee analysis and quality control.

The 2024-2025 harvest has yielded mixed results across different regions. Areas such as Yirgacheffe, Sidamo and Guji have thrived due to an ideal climate and a favourable production cycle, resulting in increased production and excellent cup quality. In contrast, western regions like Jimma, Kaffa, and Lekempti have faced challenges, including drought, unfavourable cycles, and logistical issues. Given that Ethiopia has only one harvest per year, the biennial nature of coffee production is particularly significant.

How is coffee market volatility affecting prices in Ethiopia?

2/28/2025

The global coffee market is currently experiencing unprecedented volatility, with New York Arabica coffee prices reaching all-time highs. On February 10, 2025, Arabica futures rose to $4.30 per pound, marking the 13th consecutive session of record prices. However, just yesterday, prices fell to $3.86 per pound, breaking the $4 barrier in a single day. This volatility is primarily attributed to adverse weather conditions in Brazil, the world’s leading coffee producer, where dry and hot weather has significantly impacted coffee-growing regions. As a result, Brazilian farmers are hesitant to sell their limited supplies, further exacerbating the global shortage.

In response to these global market dynamics, the Ethiopian government has implemented a minimum coffee price directive aimed at protecting local producers and ensuring that as many dollars as possible flow into the economy. This policy requires Ethiopian coffee exporters to sell at or above a predetermined minimum price, which is adjusted weekly based on international market trends and the prevailing exchange rate.

Record future prices V/S average cherry prices

2/5/2025

The recent surge in Arabica coffee futures on the New York Stock Exchange, which yesterday reached an all-time high of $3.75 per pound, has complex implications for African coffee producers. While economies such as Ethiopia, Kenya or Rwanda will benefit from higher prices, small farmers, who account for 90% of African coffee producers, often struggle to capitalise on these gains. Factors such as rampant inflation, high input costs and reliance on middlemen reduce their potential profits.

In Ethiopia, 6 kg of cherries are needed to produce 1 kg of green coffee, the price per kilogram of cherries is still low compared to the price achieved by coffee futures on international markets. During the 2024-25 harvest that just ended, the average price per kg of cherry on the local market has fluctuated between 80 to 90 birr per kilogram (approximately $0.5 to $0.55 USD), which represents a fraction of the value that coffee futures fetch on the global market. This is partly due to the intermediation structure in the Ethiopian market, where farmers often rely on local cooperatives and traders who buy the cherry at lower prices before it reaches the international market.

What is the minimum export price for Ethiopian coffee?

12/12/2024

Ethiopia consumes about half of the coffee it produces on the domestic market, usually lower-quality lots, as high-quality coffee is usually reserved for international sales. The government prohibits the sale of export-quality coffee on the local market, even when local prices are more favourable. However, there is a domestic demand for high-quality coffee, which can be illegally supplied with higher-quality coffee when local prices exceed those offered by exports.

In February 2020, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority established a minimum export price for coffee, as well as a semi-official minimum price for coffee at local sales centres. The minimum export price is calculated daily, based on the global weighted average of the price given to different grades of coffee from different regions. At the time, the measure increased the price of green coffee by a range of approximately 0.5 to 1 USD/lb for grade 1 (best quality) coffee. And exporters selling coffee below the minimum price were made subject to legal action by the Ministry of Trade.

Coffee prices, EUDR, Trump and other calamities.

11/28/2024

How these chaotic times affect roasters?

Coffee has been traded in the world for 400 years, and the harsh reality is that during each of these years, without exception, coffee growers have remained poor and exporters rich. This is, of course, a basic, simple and shallow analysis, but it only has one thing in its favor, and that is that it stands the test of time.

The test of time must be framed in a period long enough to understand a long-range phenomena, with the slow movement and measurement of its parameters. As it is in this case, about money, coffee and 400 years, a basic but fundamental tool to identify the errors of a system and to be able to establish its potential solutions. This is why the impact of specialty coffee on the coffee industry CANNOT be assessed on the basis of a very specific set of situations that generated an exponential rise in coffee prices to a 50-year high on the New York Stock Exchange.

NATURAL ANAEROBIC FERMENTATIONs in rwanda

10/23/2024

In recent years, the popularity of specialty coffees has changed the landscape of international trade. The focus has shifted from regular "Starbucks-type" commercial coffee to unique, traceable, and experimental products. This trend has attracted a global and diverse audience and has enhanced financial benefits for producers.

Until about a decade ago, coffee processing primarily utilized natural, honey, and washed methods, each of which offered a wide range of sensory qualities in the coffee. During these processes, fermentation occurs naturally through local microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, which interact with the coffee mucilage. The metabolites produced by these microorganisms can penetrate the coffee seeds, resulting in two types of effects: beneficial ones, such as desirable organic acids, esters, alcohols, and sugars; and harmful ones, which include undesirable organic acids and toxins that can negatively impact the quality of the coffee beans.

Rwanda Natural Anaerobic vs. Rwanda Classic Natural Fermentations

9/27/2024

As we all know, the way coffee is processed has a significant impact on the flavours that end up in the cup. Two fascinating methods that are not often talked about too much are Natural Anaerobic Fermentation and Natural Classic Fermentation. We have a new selection from Rwanda on the way and we want you to know what to expect.

1. Classic Natural Fermentation

In the classic natural process, coffee cherries are picked and then dried with the fruit still on the bean. The fruit's sugars and pulp influence the flavour during drying. This method gives the coffee a fruity, sweet, full-bodied profile with rich, bold notes.

Our go-to flavour profile: We look for deep, fruity, and sometimes wine-like flavours. Most often, they have a heavy body and a rustic profile but with a sweet aftertaste.