Locally Roasted

10/17/2026

While we were in San Franciso recently, I took the opportunity to stop by Sweet Marias in Oakland. I've been buying coffee from them for 20 yrs. It was fun to get to see the warehouse.

07/17/2026

Great video on how coffee is processed from the fruit to the bean.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ: This link is to sign up for updates about ...

05/06/2026

Most of my coffee comes from this program. They’ve been running this for many years.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1310934687820490&id=100067119127552

"Farm Gate Coffee" is the name we give to our direct trade coffee buying program. These are coffees we've paid a premium price for, negotiated directly with the farmer, or association. It's not a certificate, per se, nor does it come with the costs associated with one. That's not to say certification systems are "bad", and we certainly support Organic and Fair Trade certified coffees throughout the year. But for many farmers, the path to certification is out of reach, and this program is our way of guaranteeing transparency and fairness through our direct involvement at the "farm gate". Check out the link in comments to learn more about our Farm Gate program.

10/25/2025

08/29/2024

Microloans can make an enormous difference in the lives of people that receive them. Kiva.org is a platform that allows you to contribute to folks all over the world trying to improve their lives. I often feel like there's not much I can do to change the world, but with micro loans, I feel like I can directly contribute to making someone's life a little better. When your loans are repaid, you can relend the money out again.

I've specifically looked for coffee farmers to invest in. I enjoy coffee a lot and the famers that grow the beans generally get a very small part of the profits made globally on coffee. Check out kiva.org if you're interested.

03/22/2024

I don’t know if anything tangible will come of this, but I’m not aware of any other industry even having such a conversation.

The Specialty Coffee Association has released the results of a pioneering survey on the topic of equitable value distribution in the coffee.

11/25/2023

https://dailycoffeenews.com/2023/11/21/study-regularly-drinking-coffee-reduces-covid-19-infection-risk/

Daily coffee drinking can reduce the infection risk of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from Taiwan.  After conducting in vitro lab testing of human cells,…

07/27/2023

EU combatting deforestation. Interesting stuff...

[Editor’s note: This column references the new EU Regulation for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains. The law took effect on June 29, and supply chain actors were given 18 months to come into co…

06/22/2023

The best and most entertaining thing I’ve seen on coffee and health.

Click my CoPilot link https://go.mycopilot.com/JamesHoffmann to get 14 days free with your own expert fitness and health coach.My previous video on caffeine:...

05/26/2023

Two new coffees - a new one from Rwanda and a first ever bag from Congo!

These coffees are in stock and ready to be roasted. This is where you can find what's in stock right now. When possible, I try to buy from Sweet Maria's Farm Gate program, which guarantees 50% or more over Fair Trade price minimums. This means growers and producers are getting a fair price paid dire...