Bean Bros works hard to bring you the best coffee from around Europe. We take great pride in the coffee we share, introducing you to a wide variety of roasters.
This month, we have something very special. It is rare for a team to bring something really different to the table but the team from POMA are doing just that! Working hard to make a difference and promote new and thought provoking industry practises. Your reward for this work, the coffee in your box! We hope you enjoy learning about the team whilst you drink some excellent coffee.
Who makes up the team?
The team is made up of 3 co-founders:
- Rasmus Madsen. Lead agronomy advisor and researcher. Working 10+ years in the industry in coffee roasteries, shops and now as a co-owner of Poma.
- Kapo Chiu. Head of coffee and strategy. More than 10+ years of experience in the industry as an owner of the esteemed 'The Cupping Room' in Hong Kong and celebrated Barista winning 2nd place at the World Barista Championship in 2014.
- Henrik Ellersgaard. Head of branding and marketing. Henrik is an experienced graphic designer and brand builder who takes the visuals and communication of Poma to the next level.
Please let us know some of the beginnings and how that has evolved. How intentional have you been and what makes you most proud?
It all started as an interest of our co-founder, Rasmus Madsen, who is a researcher in fruit cultivation. Having coffee as a hobby/passion, he started with small scale coffee cultivation research in a controlled environment, which has then grown to become the core of Poma to this day after many years of expanding by small steps. It all became commercial and turned into Poma when the vision between co-founders Rasmus and Kapo Chiu were connected when Kapo moved to Copenhagen, after many successful years as the owner of The Cupping Room in Hong Kong - now looking to expand the research facilities globally!
Most of what we have done has been intentional and with a sharp focus on developing coffee production techniques that can be adopted easily by coffee growers worldwide. Luckily it has caught on very well and gained attention from the industry. We are really proud to say that to this day more than 50+ coffee growers are utilizing our techniques globally, with many more onboarding.
A summary of POMA's key purpose. For more details read their Journal here.
Poma® is a coffee agronomy research company on a mission to refine coffee production techniques, address industry challenges, and bridge the gap between research and practical application. We collaborate closely with coffee farmers to implement and scale up our findings, aiming to make sustainable practices more accessible and effective.
We have developed the Poma Cultivation System® — a comprehensive collection of best agricultural practices designed to unleash the full potential of new and already existing coffee varieties and systemise/standardise coffee production. More information about this can be found in the POMA brochure on the Bean Bros website. We’ve combined the latest scientific research with practical, field-tested methods to create a system that’s not just innovative — it’s easy for farmers to adopt. Our hands-on approach means that every aspect of the Poma Cultivation System® is designed to be practical, efficient, and scalable, so you can start seeing results immediately.
What are your plans for 2025?
We are really excited to build a new research facility at the end of the summer that will be much bigger with more state-of-the-art equipment. This will enable us to do larger scale research and even more precise research for the future. This will also serve as an educational hub to invite the community to learn more about coffee production techniques.
The coffee this month
All of the coffees are a result of our research trials with our partner farms in Costa Rica, Colombia and our own facility in Denmark, where we commit to purchasing the lots we do research with. They are best enjoyed as filter coffee as a light brew with good quality water. Aim for 90-120ppm of high quality fresh water, and a coarse grind.
Any closing remark you would like to make to our subscribers?
We are very excited to share these coffees with the BeanBros community and inviting the good coffee people to explore our research and efforts in producing counties!
FEATURED COFFEE FOR MARCH
Anaerobic Natural Geisha
A bold expression of the geisha variety,this anaerobically fermented natural coffee exhibits both the delicate inherent aromas of the geisha, bursting with white flowers and citrus, and the complex fermented aromas of tropical fruit like mango and apricot.
ORIGIN: COLOMBIA
FARM: LA DIVISA
ALTITUDE: 1900 MASL
Cold Washed SL28
Presenting a delightful and classic expression of the SL28 variety from Volcán Azul in Costa Rica, this coffee showcases the robustness and fruit-forwardness that is so characteristic of this variety, with pleasant aromas of raspberry and nectarine, and a refined balance between floral bitterness and fruity sweetness.
ORIGIN: COSTA RICA
FARM: VULCAN AZUL
ALTITUDE: 1850 MASL
Cold Washed H1
A balanced representation of the H1 variety from our Coffee Research Station in Denmark showcasing the mellow sweetness that is characteristic of this variety. You will find aromas of apricot, light caramel and cane sugar that mingle perfectly to create a balanced and clean cup and an extremely sweet and pleasant aftertaste like toffee.
ORIGIN:DENMARK
ALTITUDE: 1850MASL (SIMULATED)
