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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.

Green buying and roastery

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What we learned in Honduras: credit, chisme, and why origin trips hit different

When we landed for PRF Honduras 2025 (Producer Roaster Forum), we expected to talk about climate change and the C market. We got way more than that. Between warehouse visits, bank-controlled coffee, and CEO-level farmers, one thing became clear: origin is where the action is. Here’s a recap of what we saw, heard, and learned—or at least what can be shared in public… 

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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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The Big Short: inside today’s coffee trading crisis

The Big Short: inside today’s coffee trading crisis

In 2008, the world awakened in a financial crisis. Big banks got bigger. Not safer, but bigger. There was consolidation in the financial industry. But consolidation was just the result of a worldwide crisis in which we ended up because of unchecked speculation.

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How to make good coffee accessible & increase the roastery's reach

How to make good coffee accessible & increase the roastery's reach

When operational costs go up and consumers have less money to spend, specialty coffee roasters have to be creative. In this blog, we’ll share the takeaways of the Ready to Rumble webinar series with four industry experts in Europe and the USA.

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Origin news

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All eyes on Honduras after Ethiopian delays and Peru defaults

Honduras is already exporting more coffee than last year. Production may be down slightly, but there’s no talk of shortages. However, roasters should pay close attention to whom they source from. Let’s unpack the Honduran financing landscape and its wave of effects across the sector.

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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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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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Two Jaén cooperatives addressing deforestation in coffee production

Deforestation has become a common ground for Peruvian coffee. By promoting the planting of timber trees, cooperatives promote reforestation and facilitate access to smallholder financing in Peru.

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Why source organic coffee from Brazil?

Only 0.3% of Brazil's coffee is organic. It's hard to get and considered expensive by many roasters. But Brazil has the scale and technology to lead organic  production. Learn about the country's history and why a Swiss roaster chose this origin for their main organic espresso.

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Coffee Procurement 101: What Information Producers Need From Roasters?

If you can’t find the coffee you want on the marketplace, you can ask producers for more samples. You just need to give them the right information. Learn how to communicate about quality, price, and preparation to find the right coffee for your roastery.

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What Is a Fair Coffee Price? We Asked. Five Coffee Producers Answered.

No one person has the ultimate answer to this question (sorry!). But if anyone is in the position to define what fair coffee prices are, it’s a coffee producer.

We asked five growers from Indonesia to El Salvador and their answers are worth the time you need to spend reading them.

They reflect on road maintenance, incremental payments, decision-making authority, and much more.

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Rast Kaffee: how to find the right coffee producer for your roastery

You can find many coffees that suit your needs on the marketplace. But to build a consistent offer, you need a producer with a similar mindset.

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Ethical Coffee: 5 Growers Answer What Coffee Ethically Sourced Is

Five producers share their definition of ethical coffee or responsible coffee. And do you want to know what they think an ethical coffee roaster is? We have the answers here.

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How Germany’s largest roastery sources Single Origin coffees

Discover why a roastery that buys mostly commercial lots relies on direct trade for traceability. Learn what they look for when talking to producers and why they value stories and professionalism as much as cup quality.

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Sourcing coffee beyond cooperatives in Colombia with La Casiana

Transitioning from local sales to the international market can seem impossible to small and medium producers, yet they are the best partners for roasters of a similar size. Learn how farmer Esteban Uribe is driving change within his family to embrace the global arena.

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He's a non-certified organic experimental farmer. They call him madman

Meet Igork Chavez of Mancile Cafe, an agronomist, self-taught specialist in processing with a love for sustainability. According to his workers, this makes him a madman. But is he really? His samples have travelled all the way from the mountains of Cordillera de Montecillos in Honduras to Switzerland and are available to order now (but not for long, so act fast)!

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