On National Coffee Day, we are featuring the unique farmer cooperative, Pachamama Coffee Farmers. Pachamama is completely owned and governed by smallholder coffee farmers in Africa and Latin America. Their certified organic coffee comes directly from farmers who carefully grow their beans under shade canopy utilizing indigenous farming practices.
In Incan mythology, Pachamama is the Earth Mother, embodied by rugged mountains, misty clouds, and lush greenery. Pachamama presides over and provides abundance to those who live in harmony with the Earth's natural cycles. At Pachamama Coffee Cooperative, sustainability is a commitment made by the collective to nurture the health of the soil, the Earth and the people within it for future generations. To minimize the impact of their bagged coffee on the planet, Pachamama has transitioned to packaging that is plant based and compostable. The outside of the bag is made completely from wood pulp which breaks down in a compost pile in about 100 days.
An all-time favorite, their Five Sisters coffee is a delicious blend of Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Garnica varietals from Latin America and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. Although the origins of coffee consumption are a mystery, there is a popular Ethiopian legend wherein coffee is discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi, who found his goats frolicking and full of energy after eating the red fruit of the coffee shrub. Kaldi tried the fruit for himself and had a similar reaction. After witnessing their strange behavior, a monk took some of the fruit back to his fellow monks and they too spent the night awake and alert.
Coffee cultivation and trade began on the Arabian Peninsula. By the 15th century, coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the 16th century it was known in Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey. Coffee was not only enjoyed in homes, but also in the many public coffee houses — called qahveh khaneh — which began to appear in cities across the Near East. In the mid-1600's, coffee was brought to New Amsterdam, later called New York. Though coffee houses rapidly began to appear, tea continued to be the favored drink in the New World until 1773, when the colonists revolted against a heavy tax on tea imposed by King George III. Thus, the Boston Tea Party forever changed the American drinking preference to coffee.
Today, it is estimated that 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed each day worldwide. Whether at a coffee shop with friends, or at home greeting the sunrise, many of us cherish our favorite version of this popular elixir. There is no shortage of sayings that express the modern sentiment toward this centuries-old tradition:
- "A day without coffee is like... just kidding. I have no idea."
- "I can't espresso how much you bean to me."
- First I drink the coffee. Then I do the things."
- "Coffee,-- my hot friend I was telling you about."
From the farmers, roasters, and us to you: Enjoy!
How To Add Farm Stand Products to Your Delivery:
CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 pm on your cutoff date. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood. You can even get your whole office in on the fun with our office snack packs. Find more information about our office deliveries here.
CSA members - head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 pm on your cutoff date. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
Not part of our farm family? Find out if we deliver to your neighborhood. You can even get your whole office in on the fun with our office snack packs. Find more information about our office deliveries here.
