The journey that the coffee beans took to get from the farm to your grinder was quite an adventure. Once upon a time your cup of coffee was a collection of seeds in the ground that relied on the rain, healthy soil, and the careful labor of farmers to get to the harvest stage of growing. From there, the coffee cherries await picking either by hand or by machine, either way, the process of making your coffee possible is complex enough from seed to harvest.
After the coffee cherries were picked, they were sorted and the twigs, debris, and other remnants of the planting bed are removed to prepare for pulling each individual cherry. A process that involves getting rid of the fruit pulp and skin that surrounds the beans. Then, once the beans have been fermented and dried, they’re milled, hulled, and polished as they’re prepared for a quality check by professional coffee graders. At this point, which can be weeks, months, or even years after the seeds were planted, the beans are ready for distribution.
Once the beans have been distributed to buyers all over the world, a process that includes oversea journeys that require the power of planes and boats and the staff members that work in that industry, they’re roasted according to the needs and unique flavor goals of the roasters. Depending on how long, and in what way, the beans are roasted, the characteristics and flavor of the beans change drastically from one batch to another. At Bizarre Coffee, each small batch is roasted to perfection with love by hand to ensure that every sip of your cup of coffee is delicious and has a complex flavor profile.
Once your beans have been roasted and checked again for quality assurance, they’re packaged and sold. Again, this part of the process involves more labor and travel that depends on countless people working to get fresh, hand-roasted Bizarre Coffee from the roaster to your kitchen! There is a long journey from seed to sip when it comes to your cup of coffee. Every step of the way there are people you may never meet doing work you may never see.
Each sip of coffee is an important reminder that every seemingly simple thing has a story. The eight or so months it took the seeds to flower required the elements of the earth and the tireless work of farmers. The weeks it took to dry the beans before hulling required the watchful eye of an expert. The careful roasting process required the time and labor of coffee-loving woman and her husband in Georgia who have a passion for coffee and a desire to make sure that you have your #DAYMADE everyday. As you prepare your next cup of coffee, honor the journey and the process that made it possible by showing gratitude. Then think about the ways in which you are a part of a journey that is complex and has an impact on others in ways you have yet to imagine.
