This coffee is produced by Rafael Ventura at El Durazno farm in Nuevo Oriente, Guatemala. The farm is relatively young, with its first production harvest in 2018. The coffee cherries are hand-picked and sorted, then transported to Finca Rabanales for processing. The cultivar is Bourbon, processed using the White Honey method, which involves de-pulping the cherries and allowing them to dry with some mucilage remaining. Grown at an altitude of 1,500-1,700 meters, the coffee is harvested between December and April. The beans offer notes of Chocolate, Brown Sugar, and Peach. Nuevo Oriente is one of Guatemala's most isolated areas, known for its rainy, cloudy climate and mineral-rich volcanic soil that creates ideal conditions for high-quality specialty coffee.
Kiss the Hippo launched in 2018 as London's first carbon negative coffee roastery. Every coffee they sell is certified organic by the Soil Association and certified carbon negative, with reforestation projects in Colombia, Madagascar, Zambia, and Nepal through a partnership with Swiss nonprofit On A Mission. They pay farmers at least 50% above Fair Trade prices, often double. The roastery has won the UK Barista Championships three times, with victories by Joshua Tarlo in 2018, Paul Ross in 2019, and Paul Ross again in 2020 and now supplies seven London café locations. Sustainability extends to fully compostable pods, recyclable packaging, a Living Wage commitment, and a partnership with bio bean that turns used grounds into biofuels.
