Sourcing coffee with the right qualities is an essential part of who we are. Our long standing relationships at origin help us source coffee we're proud of; meticulously produced, thoughtfully sourced and expertly roasted.
Specialty-grade
Our approach to coffee sourcing is simple but uncompromising. All green coffee that we source for our blends and single origins must be specialty grade with a score of at least 83 points or above on the SCA grading scale.
Sourcing specialty coffee from origin means we get exclusive access to coffee that matches the flavour profiles we're after, as well as a range of premium single origin flavours to experiment with.
We believe in the benefits of working directly with partners at origin to source coffee for the long term. Nurturing these relationships has allowed us to find great-tasting, quality coffee and means farmers, mills and co-ops have a reliable purchasing partner to help their own growth from season to season.
We also work with a number of local importers in order to source smaller lots of single origins for experimental and limited run single origin offering.
Our long-term partnerships at origin help us source the coffee we need to deliver our iconic flavour, quality and consistency every day.
We source this way for two reasons. We hope that the reliability of our purchase provides the producer with enhanced financial security for the coming harvest, allowing them to invest in their business and improve the quality of their coffee. In turn, we get the quality and consistency we need to deliver on our flavour promise every day. We’re very proud that we’ve been nurturing partnerships at origin for a long time, some for over 15 years.
Visiting the source
We aim to visit at least one of our partners at origin once a year to strengthen our relationships across the supply chain. These trips allow us to identify areas of improvement for producers and to help with support projects that have a direct impact on the quality of their coffee, and the livelihoods of their workers.
Our specialty coffee range reflects our expertise, knowledge and passion for exceptional coffee. Expertly blended and precision Hot Air Roasted to achieve our iconic flavour that is enjoyed at over 2000 independent cafés around the world.
At Allpress, we buy the majority of our green beans directly from origin. Through long-standing relationships with exporters, we're connected directly to farmers and co-ops producing high-quality coffee.
While we continue to build new partnerships year on year, 60% of our sourcing relationships have spanned more than five years, with over 45% spanning 10+ years. Our longest sourcing partnership now stands at 20 years!
Are Allpress' coffees “specialty-grade” arabica?
Yes. 100% of our coffee is specialty-grade arabica, at least 83 points or higher on the SCA scale.
What countries does Allpress Espresso buy direct from?
We buy direct from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru and Honduras. Many of our sourcing partnerships have spanned 5+ years, with our longest being over 20 years old.
How does sourcing coffee direct from origin work?
Sourcing from origin means we work directly with exporters in the countries where our coffee is grown; to find specialty coffee that we can buy for the long term. Buying the majority of our coffee direct means we can develop genuine relationships along the supply chain. Sourcing this way works well for our main blends, where we're looking for larger quantities of coffees that match a specific flavour profile.
Nurturing these relationships has allowed us to find great-tasting, quality coffee and means farmers, mills and co-ops have a reliable purchasing partner season to season. Most of these relationships are older than five years, and some are as old as two decades.
Our new suppliers are required to agree to our recently adopted Supplier Code of Conduct and Guiding Principles. Then we share what flavours, quality, and quantity we are looking for and the exporters match us up with coffee from the farmers and co-ops they work with. Our existing suppliers have also been provided with our Code and Guiding Principles (and are advised of our expectation that they will comply).
Many of the coffees we buy from origin we continue to purchase year after year – this gives us get great consistent flavour, and the farmers can count on a reliable buying partner. To deepen the relationships, we aim to visit origin yearly to taste coffee with our partners, meet the farmers and see their farms.
When did Allpress Espresso start buying coffee from origin and why?
We started sourcing coffee direct from origin in 2001 as we weren’t happy with quality and flavour of the green beans available to us locally. We wanted to source coffees of incredible flavour and quality, coffees that weren’t available to our competitors. Sourcing direct from origin has allowed us to develop our distinctive and iconic flavour profiles.
Since then we've developed some amazing long-term relationships. Our goal now is to continue to deepen these relationships and work together to make a difference at origin, like the Pescador project in Colombia.
Are the coffees that Allpress Espresso source traceable?
We've always worked hard to understand where our coffee comes from and who produced it.
We review our supply chain regularly with the aim of assessing our direct suppliers’ adherence to our Supplier Code of Conduct. and Wework with them to make improvements where necessary.
With so many different buying models in coffee producing regions around the world, our purchasing processes differ slightly. We work with exporters to understand each part of their own buying models and how the coffee comes us; whether that's direct from producers or through collective washing stations and co-ops.
Does Allpress Espresso visit origin?
Yes, we aim to visit at least one of our origin countries every year.
The purpose of these visits is to meet with our export partners and taste coffee samples together, to make sure we are aligned on flavour and quality. It also provides our roasters with deeper knowledge about the coffees they work with every day.
We visit origin to strengthen relationships across our supply chain with the growers, co-ops, and mills that produce the coffee we buy.
Why does Allpress Espresso buy coffee from local importers?
Local importers offer great variety. Their businesses are set up to find a huge range of coffees that fit many different uses, flavours and customers. This means that we can easily find additions for particular blends, decaf coffees, and interesting single origins to showcase by themselves.
How do you choose which importers to work with?
All import partners we work with are expected toadhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct and Guiding Principles.The Supplier Code of Conduct and Guiding Principles which contain commitments relating togood working practises, upholding human rights, anti-discrimination, and anti-corruption practices.
For a complete list of the local import partners we work with, visit our 2021 Import Partnerships page.
