Have you ever experienced a place so impactful that you only fully grasp its beauty and significance after leaving? Reflecting on my recent trip to Colombia, that’s exactly the feeling I have. Colombia is a country I’ve visited multiple times, each trip a unique experience marked by stunning landscapes, vibrant flavors, and the warmth of its people. This time, though, the trip was more of a whirlwind. I was there for the Producer Roaster Forum, a gathering designed to foster direct connections between specialty coffee producers and roasters. The event had a special focus on regenerative agriculture—a movement that’s more...
Utopian Coffee is honored to be a 2025 Roaster of the Year finalist, recognized for our commitment to sustainability, quality, and social impact. Discover how our Regenerative Organic Certified® coffees and strong partnerships with farmers are creating positive change in the specialty coffee industry.
In December 2021, I had my first experience flying in a bush plane, traveling from Guatemala City to the coffee-growing region of Huehuetenango, near the Mexico border. The trip was part of a coffee development project, a chance to learn, collaborate, and experience coffee at its roots. Although I had been to Guatemala a couple of times before, this trip was different. It opened my eyes to a much deeper understanding of agriculture and its direct impact on coffee quality and sustainability—things I hadn’t fully grasped in my earlier visits. What really made this trip stand out was how it...
The Legend of Ethiopian Coffee Many in the specialty coffee world are familiar with the story of Kaldi, the goatherd credited with discovering coffee. And with that, the legend of Ethiopian coffee was born. But the beauty of the story is that it didn’t end there. Ethiopia, as a country, along with many individuals and companies, has invested in the craft of specialty coffee to continue the rich tradition of growing and exporting some of the most amazing coffee in the world. Experiencing Ethiopia Firsthand I’ve had the great fortune to visit Ethiopia on a couple of occasions, once in...