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Posted on July 27 2020
July 27 2020
Last year in 2019, we found something special. A nano-lot from the beautiful Finca Guadalupe Zaju… The ‘secret ingredient’; wood!
Posted on February 6 2018
February 6 2018
Clients from four countries joined us on our annual Colombia residency this year. Since Mercanta set up our office in Medellin in 2012, we have sought to highlight the wonders of the marvellous Colombian Department of Antioquia to a wider audience: in a coffee sense, a city tour sense, and a social sense. The networking opportunity for
Posted on April 10 2017
April 10 2017
Jantioquia: A customer’s perspective; Fiona Grant from Glen Lyon Coffee Roasters guest blogs Standing in the middle of Plaza Botero, a plastic cup of fresh mango spiked with salt and lime in my hand, musica tropical blaring out from a passing taxi and Mercanta’s Juan Cano pointing out the city sights and I’m one very
Posted on September 6 2016
September 6 2016
Grant Rattray and Leah Warren visit Papua New Guinea and tell us about their search for quality green coffee in this unique origin.
Posted on September 1 2016
September 1 2016
Mercanta’s Stephen Cornford takes a journey to Peru: 11,265 km long and, 2,500m high.
Posted on August 4 2016
August 4 2016
From July 9 – 17, 2016, Mercanta was honoured to be invited to Rwanda by our good friends, RWASHOSCCO, to help them celebrate 10 years of producing specialty coffee. Mercanta’s Raphael Prime and Jamie Marler were joined by our guests, Andrew Tolley of Taylor St., Diana Palmer of Red Roaster, Jorge Alberto from Origin South Africa and Steve Leighton of Has Bean.
Posted on July 8 2016
July 8 2016
On May 16-20, Mercanta North America’s John Curry attended the 2016 Guatemala Cup of Excellence (COE) International Jury as an observer. He shares his experiences.
Posted on February 1 2016
February 1 2016
Mercanta kicked off the beginning of 2016 by celebrating with our friends and partners in Colombia! For the month of January, Stephen Hurst and many other Mercanta staff welcomed friends from around the world to Antioquia and Huila to better know this beautiful country that is home to some of the world's finest coffees.
Posted on January 15 2015
January 15 2015
Mercanta is now proud to offer – for the very first time – three unique coffees from Papua New Guinea.
Posted on July 11 2014
July 11 2014
Day One began with an early start at IH Cafe, a government enterprise whose roles include; the promotion of specialty coffee in Honduras, educating producers and marketing Honduran Specialty coffee internationally. Our host and guide for the week, Rony, met Raul and I bright and early at the IH cafe laboratory in San Pedro Sula,
Posted on December 27 2013
December 27 2013
Coffeehunter Joanne Berry journeys to the Blackburn Estate in northern Tanzania in search of the country’s finest coffee… In a country the size of Tanzania, ‘near’ means a six hour drive away; a very bumpy and dusty drive which slowly gave way to a beauty I had not been expecting, and which left me glued
Posted on October 18 2013
October 18 2013
Mercanta were recently privileged to welcome Adolfo Vieira Ferreira from Fazenda Passeio to the Lab to talk coffee. Here at Mercanta we are lucky enough to work with some wonderful producers. Adolfo from Faxenda Passeio is one of these and he paid us a visit recently. Hear what he had to say about his farm
Posted on October 18 2013
October 18 2013
We recently welcomed Túlio Henrique Rennó Junqueira from Carmo Estate to talk about his farm, production and life in the coffee family. For those that were lucky enough to join us on the day, there was the fascinating opportunity to question Tulio on all aspect of production and export. If you couldn’t join us, watch
Posted on June 7 2013
June 7 2013
A recent visit revealed the variety of different ways Rwandan coffee makes its way to our cupping table. Back at the end of May, our lovely coffee huntress Jo, travelled to Rwanda with Melbourne Coffee Merchant’s equally delightful Fleur and Jenni to source wonderful coffees and strengthen the relationships we have built up there over
Posted on May 29 2013
May 29 2013
The under recognized region of Antioquia moved into the light with two farms making it to this year’s Colombian Cup of Excellence Auction. Antioquia has long been the little sister of Colombian coffee regions, with its produce being undiscovered by the rest of the world. Flavor profiles are unlike those from the rest of the
Posted on April 1 2013
April 1 2013
We sent Jose to spend a hectic three days in Honduras meeting old friends and seeking out new farms all in the name of sourcing exciting additions for our warehouses. Landing in San Pedro Sula, the first stop for him was to visit the impressive facilities at Ihcafe, the Honduran Coffee institute. Ihcafe, which was
Posted on March 17 2013
March 17 2013
While farmers across Colombia have been blocking roads and causing general disruption in a widespread protest over low prices, Mercanta are getting to know the growers in order to offer them a viable outlet for their specialty product. After establishing a sourcing office in Medellin, Colombia in 2011, Mercanta has spent the past 18 months
Posted on December 2 2012
December 2 2012
Each Christmas Mercanta sponsors a charitable project in one of the coffee-producing origins we work with. This year we decided to support FUNPRES, a not-for-profit organisation that runs support and prevention programmes for victims of child abuse in El Salvador. We have just received a report back on the project’s progress… FUNPRES (short for ‘Fundación
Posted on November 8 2012
November 8 2012
1850km in a 1 litre Fiat Uno; Brazil is nothing if not huge. Starting in Sao Paulo, this trip took me to Pedregulho on the Sao Paulo/Minas Gerais border, then Pocos de Caldas, Santo Antonio do Amparo, Areado in Minas Gerais, then back to Pocos and finally Sao Paulo. Two weeks, dozens of farms, cupping
Posted on October 30 2012
October 30 2012
In early September Colombia and the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC) celebrated their 10th Cup of Excellence Anniversary in Popayán, Cauca – and what a privilege it was to be part of the international jury. A record total of 1,043 lots were entered into this year’s competition, from the regions of Cauca, Nariño, North Huila,

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