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Blog: The Source

Your gateway to all things green coffee buying, selling, and coffee markets. Education, real stories, and market updates to help roasters and producers build true direct trade relationships.

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Want to dive into direct trade?  Get across green buying and selling? You’re in the right place.

Origin news

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“I don’t grow coffee in NY”: Ugandan producers on prices and the new crop

Uganda’s Arabica harvest is here, though volumes are down thanks to unpredictable weather. Local exporters are going head-to-head with big traders, supporting farmers with skills and resources. Learn how Uganda’s pricing dynamics impact sustainable sourcing.

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Will there be enough rain in Brazil to put out the fire in the C-market?

The next few months are going to be key in figuring out if coffee prices stay high and just how tight supply will be. For now, green buyers might need to prepare for more price swings. Waiting it out is getting riskier, so a lot of roasters are already raising their own prices.

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Are there crop failures hiding in Brazil? The 2024 harvest update

Brazil is producing and exporting a lot of coffee but things are far from smooth. While volumes are good, producers need more cherries to build exportable coffee lots. With crop failures lurking in the forecasts, here’s what green buyers need to know to talk coffee with suppliers.

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Peruvian coffee is in demand and might sell out faster than you think

Exporters and cooperatives from Peru are seeing a surge in contracts despite high parchment prices. Leaf rust has led to a short supply of clean cup lots—just when Peruvian coffee became the go-to option to cover shipping delays from Ethiopia. Get the full picture here.

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Green buying and roastery

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Know the carbon footprint of each of your coffees

Want to reduce the roastery’s environmental impact? Algrano now calculates the CO2 emissions of each coffee at checkout. Here, you’ll learn where your biggest impact lies, and what options you have to reduce or offset emissions.

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Sourcing Brazil for blends & espresso? Up your skills with this green grading guide

Sourcing Brazil for blends & espresso? Up your skills with this green grading guide

Struggling to find a volume coffee from Brazil that fits your budget? You’re not the only one. Learn about how coffee is graded in this origin and discover what options you have to source a good lot at a price that works for you and the producer.

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Coffee prices are high. Should I contract now or wait?

Coffee prices are high. Should I contract now or wait?

Arabica futures have risen since November 2023, hitting lockdown levels and leaving buyers at a standstill. But origins like Brazil and Peru are in season and waiting might be a bad call. Let’s explore what’s happening in the market and the solutions to help you secure supply.

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How to make sense of FOB prices for better buying decisions

How to make sense of FOB prices for better buying decisions

FOB is the standard for coffee contracts but it doesn’t tell you how much farmers get paid. Yet, farm gate prices are not always available to begin with. Yes, it’s tricky. We explain why FOB is the norm and how you can use it to make the right sourcing choices.   

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Featured resources

Our impact: 2023 progress update

Producers are getting more business and premiums, while new roasters are sourcing more coffee than ever with confidence. Learn about Algrano’s impact, pre-financing, data sharing with producers, and what's beyond relationship coffee. 

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Direct sourcing 2024-25 calendar for green buyers

Your 18-month guide to shipments and arrivals, helping you plan ahead and enjoy the unique benefits of working directly with producers.

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Bell Lane and Fazenda Canta Galo

The roastery used Algrano’s services to build a key producer relationship. Why? So they have the right tools for value-based sales and can keep customers loyal without fighting price wars.
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All blogs & resources

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A new-gen mill putting coffee farmers first in Nicaragua

Sajonia Estate Coffee is offering a range of single-farm coffees on the marketplace for the first time this year. The mill embraces a service-provider approach, still rare among aggregators, and puts farmers on top of their priority list.

Get samples now!

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Better pricing for sustainable coffee? Here are some examples

The coffee industry is a breeding ground for ideas on how to tackle supply chain inequalities. Learn about initiatives and pricing models developed to answer the million-dollar question: how can we set prices that support a more sustainable coffee production?

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The journey of two fine robustas from the Scotland of India to Algran

Venkids Valley Estate is one of the new producers onboarded by Algrano. Learn how farmer Pavan Nanjappa prepared for his debut in our marketplace and taste his fine robusta, now available to order in small volumes. This is an opportunity for roasters to try one of today’s big coffee trends, which is likely here to stay.

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Algrano Market Trends Report 2022

The report highlights the stabilising effect of long-term relationships on coffee supply and prices with more than 60% of surveyed coffee roasters and producers wanting to invest more in direct trade practices in 2022.

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Why this Honduran co-op is using a micro-lot process on large blends

Cafesmo, in Ocotepeque, hosted an intensive course with fermentation specialist Lucia Solis this February. Instead of only learning how to produce 88+ micro-lots, they want to push the quality of their standard blends and make specialty a strategy that can be scaled up to benefit the entire community.

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Doga Coffee: new generation stays at the farm to build relationships

Third generation Costa-Rican coffee producer Facundo Madrigal is bringing samples to Europe for the first time this March! Graduated in International Business, the 24-year-old is in charge of exporting for the family and has one thing in mind: building direct relationships with roasters.

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Moving from spot coffee to forward buying? Two roasters share their know-how

Spot coffee is convenient. We get it. But forward-buying can help you scale the roastery with a consistent offer. We’ll explain why and share advice from two seasoned roasters: Plot Roasting in the UK and Coffee Architects in Switzerland. 

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How Bell Lane and Canta Galo built a relationship from a 3-bag order

New to direct sourcing? Read Niko's story. The Irish roaster messaged Brazilian producer Heron on Algrano after a small micro-lot order and quickly connected. Now in the 2nd year of their relationship, Niko has 160 bags on the way. He also secured his favourite anaerobic coffee before the harvest even started and become one of Heron's key partners…

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From the US Marines to an island in Indonesia: meet Troy Kiper of Bright Java Coffee

Bright Java Coffee is the first supplier of high-end Indonesian coffee on Algrano. The man behind the operation is Troy Kiper, an American with a long journey into coffee that started in Afghanistan. This is his story.  

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Friedhats: Managing the Risk of Potato Defect in Rwandan Coffee

Learn what causes Potato Taste Defect and how processors in Rwanda are doing to avoid it. In the end, the risk of finding PTD beans in retail bags is pretty small.

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