Wakuli

Our founder Yorick and sourcing manager Kerissa are literally knee deep in quality improvement and futureproofing coffee production with our friends Mzee Kumburu and Mzee Ngapomba in Mbinga, Tanzania. The coffee from this area has proven to be a true hidden gem and some additional attention to quality -like improved sorting, different types and intensities of fermentation- might well bring it to dizzying heights. Improvements in the business of coffee farming are needed because -like virtually all smallholder farmers- the 50 farmers who contribute to the Wakuli export have their struggles to make ends meet. They over rely on traditional green revolution style farming methods like the use of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Practices that have been aggressively promoted by “the global north”. With three very clear downsides for farmers: high costs in the short term and health issues as well as environmental degradation in the long term. We are at the start of a journey in Mbinga to move away from that. To provide alternatives and to prove that there is a more sustainable way of growing coffee that also improves yield stability, quality of the coffee and the health of farmers and their families. This work visit serves as an exploration and as a baseline for future regenerative interventions like compost, organic fertilizer and pesticide production by the farmers themselves with materials available in the area. It's a steep learning curve for us as well as for our partners. But the results in other places like Uganda and Brazil and the work we have done with Rubén B. of Rockinsoils give us confidence that regenerative coffee production is the way forward and will benefit all of us. #regenerativecoffee #specialtycoffee #impactfirst #regeneration

Tuesday we had the honor of hosting Luciana Flores Martins Swan the producer of one of our seasonal microlots and part of COOPERVASS - Cooperativa Agropecuária do Vale do Sapucaí - included in our blends, cups and our partners in crime on the regenerative front. Luciana and her family took the effort to visit Amsterdam after their trip to the World of Coffee in Copenhagen last week. We cupped a number of our microlots and a portfolio range while we were at it. Still amazing to see how her coffee with its distinct red lollipop flavor stands out amongst some other high quality microlots. After a tour through the roastery and a presentation of the regenerative work that is taking place on Luciana's farm, we visited the Wakuli bar at the Vijzelgracht to show how we connect with the customer. Luciana and her family got to join the Coldbrew Coffee Culture! For producers it is very important and rewarding to see where their  coffee ends up. While enjoying a cold brew Luciana explained what our partnership with her and Coopervass means to her. And needless to say the feeling is mutual. COOPERVASS - Cooperativa Agropecuária do Vale do Sapucaí Felipe Bastos Rubén B.

Today newspaper Trouw gave some well deserved attention to what we at Wakuli consider one of the biggest issues in coffee. Farmers make far too little money while big brands like JDE Peet's and the big retail chains are lining their pockets with coffee profits. Solidaridad Network and research institute Basic did a great job backing up what we all already knew, with some clear numbers: there is more than enough profit in coffee, just not for the farmer. However, the solutions that are presented do not cover the “how?” And a lot of talking and sector round tables are not going to save farmers and our beloved coffee from the acute problems facing us like droughts, floods, pests and freak frost. On the market side we see fluctuating, unpredictable prices that don’t cover the cost of production, let alone living. Come on! Let’s not TALK about that for the next three years. But let’s solve it! The blunt admission of JDE Peet's that they only provide a solution by “teaching” farmers how to earn more by selling other products -so JDE can keep buying cheap coffee?- or focus on growing more coffee -so they can buy even more cheap coffee?- is just too cynical for us to leave unflagged. However hard the big boys try to make you believe it isn't possible: We prove that short value chains are the solution. And that quality is a win for everyone. Farmers get paid a good price and we all drink amazing coffee. Yuca Waarts Niels Haak Frederik de Vries Heske Verburg Tijmen Koppelaar Oh yes, and a slight rectification, we don't educate (opvoeden) we just make drinking high quality coffee a lot more accessible while giving all the information needed to make a conscious choice.

Wakuli is featured in lifestyle magazine JAN living (Hearst Magazines) In this deep dive article, focussed on our impact first approach to the coffee business, journalist Emma Vloeimans sheds light on why we do what we do at Wakuli. And of course why everyone should go for quality coffee. Thanks Emma Vloeimans and Josephine Kay #impact #specialtycoffee

Wakuli is featured in lifestyle magazine JAN living (Hearst Magazines) In this deep dive article, focussed on our impact first approach to the coffee business, journalist Emma Vloeimans sheds light on why we do what we do at Wakuli. And of course why everyone should go for quality coffee. Thanks Emma Vloeimans and Josephine Kay #impact #specialtycoffee

OUT NOW!! A brand new Discover Monthly brought to you by Wakuli and our friends at Alicia Roque in Ecuador. This partnership was three years in the making and we are very happy to be Marlon and Kats first direct export partner and to offer this fruity coffee to our subscribers and customers in the bars. The coffee is from the coastal area of Manabi, a region with many small scale farmers who until now mainly supplied the instant coffee market. So, very little added value and hardly any focus on quality. And that's a shame because the coffee from the area has so much potential. Even though it grows at a low altitude of around 180 MAL it is fruity and complex. Marlon has made it his mission to bring this coffee to the attention of coffee lovers around the world. So: attention! Read our article on what it takes to set a new partnership and why the changemakers at Alicia Roque are a perfect fit for Wakuli Special thanks to The Chain Collaborative for the first introduction #regenerativecoffee #specialtycoffee #impact https://lnkd.in/eFVvU7ym

Wakuli is venturing deeper into the realm of B2B partnerships. We are convinced that serving interesting specialty coffee that doesn’t involve twisting arms in the process, is a good start for an even better office culture worldwide. Starting in the Netherlands of course! This week we had the honour of kicking off with our brand new customer Patagonia. Our Sourcing & Impact team was invited to share our sourcing strategy with the Patagonia trail blazers at their European headquarters in Amsterdam during a lunch session. And of course, this had to be celebrated with our cold brew on ice afterwards. In the same way we believe in working long term with our origin partners, we trust that Patagonia will be a happy partner for the years to come. A big thanks to Tom Vangeneugden OLY and Emma Ozinga for making this possible. If you're interested in exploring better coffee at your workplace, reach out to our Partnership Manager Joris Oostenbroek or email him at [email protected]. 

We were excited to finally after two years visit our partners at Gonyobendo micro station yesterday. Together with our friends from Zombo coffee partners we visited the station and some champion farmers. They have taken up the use of compost and organic fertilizer to increase yield and quality. The farmer in the picture has quadrupled her yield this year!

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we visited cooperatives in the Masaka region in the south of Uganda. Here we are exploring potential partnerships for sourcing specialty robusta. There is a lot of potential for specialty robusta. Firstly, for farmers but also for consumers. Because it can cater to a large group of people that like high quality coffee but prefer a more traditional profile. It is an industry that is dominated by big boys who do not focus on added value for farmers. But there are coops with a lot of potential and changemakers like Bless Agume who want to change the industry. So it was exciting to learn about the ins and outs of production from farm to container. And we got to meet a lot of inspiring people along the way.

The last four days Wakuli was part of an amazing experience in Uganda. Together with partners from the Futureproof Coffee Uganda project we spent time at Brand Coffee Farm Uganda. Rubén B. took participating farmers and agronomists as well as Dutch partners along for a ride on liquid fertilizer and composting.. Farmers, cooperatives and youth groups (among whom is our supplier @zombo coffee partner) shared their successes and challenges from one year of working on the change.. Some take aways: 1. Trusting a healthy soil to do the work without knowing exactly how much nitrogen or potassium is going in is a huge mind shift that doesn’t happen over night. 2. There is no obvious vocabulary in Luganda for technical terms that explain the workings of compost and liquid organic fertilizer.. so we had to think of some. Example: many small living things is obuwuka 3. A lot of the knowledge needed for regenerative production is available among the older farmers. With some context and reasoning WHY things work this knowledge could be put to far greater use. We are looking forward to seeing in two days with our own eyes what is the progress that has been made in Zombo. we are traveling there on Sunday. But first: getting acquainted with Ndugu Farmers Cooperative in Masaka We will keep you posted in the coming days about cool stuff we encounter Fairtrade Original The Coffee Quest ACPCU LTD MVO Nederland Jim Tersteeg