Happy New Year! Welcome to 2025, thank you for supporting Bean Bros and here is a special start to what will hopefully be an amazing year for you!
We feature a new set up from some old hands. Quo, based in Gothenburg and looking to make a positive impact in their community and beyond!
Who makes up the team?
Christian, Sarah and Hayden, who make up our international team of three. Together we have around 40 year’s experience in the specialty coffee industry as baristas, green coffee buyers and importers, roasters, and communicators of coffee.
How has Quo come about and what are your hopes?
We are three colleagues from previous endeavours who felt that our diverse backgrounds and capabilities converged in a way that allowed us to create something fresh and unique. We feel that while Gothenburg has an up and coming coffee scene, it has stagnated for various reasons. We see potential to push the limits of value and quality of coffee served in this city.
Tell us some more about the Belco Fresh Coffee, Clean Ocean initiative.
Our partner importer Belco has inaugurated their Fresh Coffee, Clean Ocean initiative to freight coffee from Colombia and Brazil to Europe by sail. We are proud to be their Nordic inauguration partner, and aim to develop this collaboration going forward. Not only is this a less environmentally detrimental method of freight, it’s also more direct, allowing us to offer fresher coffees to our customers.
Has this limited any buying opportunities?
Not all of our coffees are freighted in this way, however, Belco have dedicated to increasing their sail freight to 90% of their coffee transport by 2030, which will allow us to purchase many more coffees shipped by sail, and thus allowing us to decrease our inherited carbon emissions.
Are there more ways people can consider helping to reduce impact of a global supply chain? Or doing more in local coffee regions to provide income certainty?
Investing in initiatives such as the Fresh Coffee, Clean Ocean project are of course a benefit, but we don’t expect our customers to take that burden. That responsibility is on us as a part of that supply chain to invest in, and be transparent in our communication about what it is we’re doing to improve on the environmental and socio-economic impact of our purchasing. Another importer that we work with is Semilla who have clearly communicated their social impact in origin by directly investing back into communities, which have allowed producers to improve in quality and enter the specialty coffee market.
How is the coffee community in your area and in what part did this influence the location decision for your roastery?
We have several fantastic roasteries operating in the Gothenburg region, but the amount of places serving quality coffee is small in comparison. We started Quo as a way to invest in our local community and hope to bring more quality coffee experiences to our local consumers.
Any closing remark you would like to make to our subscribers?
Quo is a project based in community and collaboration. We want everyone to feel like they have a place in the coffee community, and try to offer coffees which don’t intimidate or exclude. While our environmental impact is important, our social impact makes a larger difference in the bigger scheme of things, and hope that your subscribers feel as though they can brew these coffees however they like, and still enjoy them to their fullest.
Great selection for this month, please could you share some detail?
El Porvenir - Colombia -Washed
Country: Colombia
Variety: Papayo
Process: Washed
Region: Huila
Altitude: 2000masl
Farmer: Sandra Milena Mora and Hector Coy
Harvest: 2024
“We’ve worked with Sandra and her husband Hector for a decade now, and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them as friends and visiting their farm over the years. Both are extremely dedicated to quality and primarily grow Caturra and Tabi trees on their property. Their Geisha and this, the Papayo are limited lots which have been extremely delicate and juicy. We’re excited to share this coffee with you, which with its tea-like body, and sweet character has been a delight for us to brew.”
Banko Gotiti - Ethiopia - Natural
Country: Ethiopia
ariety: Heirloom
Process: Natural
Region: Gedeb
Altitude: 2100masl
Farmer: Smallholder farmers, each with around 2 hectare plots, equalling 1300 hectares in size.
Station: Banko Gotiti (Name pertaining to the colour red, indicating the flavour profile of this coffee)
Harvest: 2024
“Grown by smallholder farmers in the Gedeb region of Ethiopia, this naturally processed coffee has an intense, juicy sweetness which reminds us of Nordic blueberries (Bilberries), a sparkly mouthfeel reminiscent of white grapes, and a black tea-like finish. Coffee production around the Banko Gotiti Station (established in 2009), is shade-grown and intercropped with agroforestry, where the smallholder farms from which the station collects their cherries grow mainly indigenous trees and false bananas alongside their coffee trees.”
La Fuente - Colombia - Washed
Country: Colombia
Variety: Pink Bourbon
Process: Washed
Region: Huila
Altitude: 2000masl
Farmer: Yobani Ramos and Yaved Guarnizo
Harvest: 2024
“We’ve worked with Yobani and Yaved for a decade now, and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them, being guests on their homestead, and drinking their coffees. They operate a small farm in the mountains of Huila which is primarily populated by Pink Bourbon and Colombia trees, interplanted with the natural forest and landscape. Their pink bourbon lots are always the highlight of our year, and hope you enjoy this coffee as much as we do.”
São Paulo - Brazil - Washed
Country: Brazil
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Process: Natural
Region: São Paulo
Altitude: 1400masl
Farmer: FAF/Bob-o-link cooperative farmers
Harvest: 2024
“A classically Brazilian flavour profile which reminds us of yellow stonefruit and hazelnut spread, balanced with a caramelized, dark chocolate ganache. We’re thrilled to continue work with the FAF and Bob-o-link team who are pioneers in environmentally sustainable, organic coffee production and permaculture. The Bob-o-link project focuses heavily on bird sanctuary preservation, water conservation, and interplanting to promote biodiversity and soil improvements.”
Gundira Shola - Ethiopia - Natural
Country: Ethiopia
Variety: 74112, 74110
Process: Natural
Region: Kaffa
Altitude: 1850 masl
Farmer: Ephrem Mulugeta
Harvest: 2024
“Produced by single farmer Ephrem, we’ve designated this coffee as our winter seasonal selection with good reason! Its berry-forward sweetness, heavy cream mouthfeel, and notes and body reminding us of a smooth, black tea make it fitting for the season.
Ephrem’s farm Gundira Shola is unique for being such a large single farm in Ethiopia, at just over 300 hectares and facilities to accommodate workers, great focus is paid on improving the already very fertile soil, maintaining biodiversity, and skillsharing.”
La Esperanza - Colombia - Washed
Country: Colombia
Variety: Colombia, Castillo
Process: Washed
Region: Huila
Altitude: 2000 masl
Farmer: Aristedes Guarnizo
Harvest: 2024
“Aristedes is the brother and neighbour of Yaved, a producer we’ve worked with for a decade now. We’re super happy to have been able to buy Aristides’ coffees this year, andare looking forward to continuing this collaboration with him. This lot is a Colombia and Castillo mix, which we’ve found to be extremely creamy, tart and sweet like stone fruits.”
