Organic Stout

This coffee is sourced from a network of smallholder farmers in the highland districts of Ermera, Aileu, and Ainaro in Timor-Leste. In these rugged mountainous regions—where coffee was first introduced during Portuguese colonial rule—generations of farming families cultivate their crops beneath dense shade trees in traditional agroforestry systems. Farms are typically small, often less than a few hectares, and coffee is grown organically by default due to limited access to chemical inputs.

The producers are members of Cooperativa Café Timor (CCT), a farmer-owned cooperative that supports thousands of smallholders with agronomic training, organic certification programs, centralized wet mills, and export infrastructure. The cooperative plays a vital role in rural livelihoods, providing market access, quality control, and community development initiatives including healthcare and education programs.

Coffee in this region—primarily Arabica of the Timor Hybrid and Typica varieties—is carefully hand-harvested during the main crop season. Ripe cherries are delivered to cooperative wet mills where they are pulped, fermented, washed, and dried on patios or raised beds. Once dried, the parchment coffee is milled and prepared to European Preparation (EP) standards, ensuring consistent screen size and minimal defects for export.

These lots are selected for their balanced cup profile, traceability, and certified organic production practices. While not tied to a single estate, this offering represents the collective effort of thousands of smallholder families who rely on cooperative infrastructure for processing, certification, and international market access—reflecting the resilience and rebuilding spirit of Timor-Leste’s coffee sector.

The Wayanad Social Service Society (WSSS) is a cooperative growers’ collective and non-profit organization based in Wayanad, Kerala, India, founded in 1974 to support marginalized farming communities in the Western Ghats. It organizes and empowers over 8,000 smallholder farmers, focusing on organic and Fair Trade-certified coffee, spices, and pepper cultivation while promoting sustainable agriculture and community development. Located at 900–1,650 meters above sea level, WSSS farmers cultivate shade-grown Robusta and Arabica coffee under natural forest canopies, preserving biodiversity and soil health in this UNESCO Biosphere region. The society provides training on organic farming methods, certification support, technical assistance, and access to markets, ensuring that smallholder farmers receive fair prices for their crops. WSSS is also a pioneer in organic certification in Kerala, having facilitated certifications for over 19,000 farmers through collaboration with accredited certifying bodies like LACON and OneCert. Beyond agriculture, WSSS invests in community welfare through education programs, women's empowerment initiatives, and environmental conservation projects while ensuring transparent governance and fair practices across its member base. Their coffee, often natural-processed Robusta Cherry AA, is sun-dried and carefully graded, resulting in a clean, heavy-bodied cup profile with notes of dark chocolate and nutty sweetness typical of quality Indian Robusta. In essence, WSSS exemplifies a values-driven, farmer-centered cooperative model in India, combining high-quality, sustainable coffee production with impactful social and environmental initiatives that uplift smallholder farming communities in Wayanad.