A Word on the Coffee Program

By Nathanael Curtis
Coffee Director

Vision and Mission Statement

Last year brought us an amazing batch of new partners and new coffees. Each year, even more of our coffee comes from traceable lots—meaning that we know exactly which producer it came from, some of whom we even met directly. This is so exciting, and I love sharing coffee with the neighborhood produced by colleagues I know and trust. I hope this trend continues and even more of the menu features this transparency.

Of course, like many things in life, it's important not to see this as a binary good/bad. Traceability is important, but practically speaking it's not always possible. Many producers grow coffee on small microlots and purchase washing stations as a community. Cooperatives like this—where many producers share processing facilities—allow them to compete globally. In this case, traceability to a specific lot isn't possible, but that does not necessarily mean the coffee's origin is shrouded in mystery. Laboyano, one of our longtime favorite offerings, is a perfect example. It is a blend of many coffees from the Pitalito Washing Station in Colombia, sourced by The Coffee Quest, one of our first partners.

That said, what will 2025 bring?

Unblended Coffee

We intend to continue working with Unblended Coffee in Colombia. They are a collective of young producers in Andes, Antioquia. Last year, we offered two coffees from them: the Development Lot and the Peach Co-Ferment. We hope to bring both of these back.

They also just launched a new project, the Transformation Lot. This particular coffee is a blend of coffees from female producers, and it features the rare chiroso variety. We will offer it in late January.

This is the rough plan for Unblended Coffee this year:
Winter: Transformation Women's Lot (new project)
Spring: Development Lot (blend of fermentation experiments)
Summer: Sebastian Ramirez Peach Co-Ferment or something just as unique!
Fall: 👀

Finca Terrerito

Terrerito is a farm in Honduras that exports its coffee directly to the US. The family also owns Alma Coffee, a roastery in GA, which doubles as their US base of operations. In the last several years, they have expanded their operation in Honduras from their family farm to many of their neighbors.

Last year, we offered Finca Agua Fria, which came directly from one of their neighbors. We plan to work with them again and may even bring that specific lot back.

Keep an eye out for that release sometime in the spring.

New and Old Friends

In addition to these direct relationships, we continue to source coffee from great importers like Coffee Quest, Typica, Crop to Cup, Balzac Bros, Cafe Kreyol, and more. We love working with these people because they bring priceless expertise and local knowledge to the table.

That said, I'm always on the lookout for more direct partners. Ongoing relationships are what makes this industry special. There are colleagues in Rwanda and Uganda that I hope to work with this year, so keep an eye out for more information about them later in the year.

Also, these connections can come from the most random places. If you're reading this, and you know someone who produces great coffee, please reach out! My email is nathanael@solidstatecoffee.com.

Challenges and Growth

The global supply chain had quite a few challenges last year. A drought in Brazil caused a shortage in the face of record-high demand. The Red Sea was closed due to the chaos in the Middle East, stalling many shipments from Africa. These complications and more led to a 50-year high price for commodity coffee in December. It is impossible to say what the next year will bring to the industry.

We are doing what we can to face these challenges. We had several months-long shipping delays on our end, but we still managed to get some pretty great coffees on the shelf.

On the positive end of things, we experienced a lot of growth this year! Our cafe is busier than ever. We continue to supply coffee to Current Coffee, a great multi-roaster down in the Bowery Market. We also just started offering coffee at Miolin Bakery, a brand-new space in Park Slope with outstanding pastries and bread. Make sure to check both of these spots out, they are doing great work.

Gratitude

Most of all, I have to thank all of you for your business. It's a joy to roast coffee for a living, and that is made even better by working in such a great community. We are pretty proud of the space we have built, and it is all possible because of you. Thank you for making it all worth it.

Best,
Nathanael