Unlimited Update

Mar 6th 2022

Our hearts and thoughts are with the Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion as many are fleeing and others are fighting for their freedom. While their lives are being displaced, many around the world are reaching out to help with humanitarian aid.

If you're wondering how you can help, there are relief organisations already in place working tirelessly around the clock to assist. Here are three organisations that we support.

ICRC Ukraine Emergency Appeal
World Food Program - Ukraine Appeal
Nova Ukraine - Humanitarian Aid

We continue to release our educational material this week, but out of respect to the victims of the war in Ukraine, we'll keep this update brief and marketing-free.

Starter Culture

Myanmar is not a producer that many people working in specialty coffee will have encountered. The country has been embroiled in one of the world's longest-running civil wars, and since February last year, was once again plunged back into military dictatorship. In this new post (free access) we talk to green buyer Charlotte Malaval, and producer Melanie Edwards (founder of Behind the Leaf) about some extraordinary new processing techniques involving rice wine starter cultures, being employed by the Pa-O people of Myanmar, delivering without a doubt the best espressos we've tried this year.

The Coffee Buyer's Guide to Brazil

This week in Brazil we finish our catalogue of the most important varieties grown in Brazil. Brazilian plant breeders have been able to register varieties for legal protection since 2001, which has led to an explosion in the number of named varieties on the market, with characteristics designed to suit every need that farmers might have. The development of modern varieties by Brazil's pioneering plant scientists plays an important part in the ever-increasing yields and cup quality of Brazilian coffee.

We also look at the major varieties of canephora. Robusta is just one group of varieties of the canephora species. Brazil famously also grows the genetically distinct conilon group, and has pioneered the development of other new varieties and clonal strains to suit the growing conditions in different parts of the country.