We've released our first mini-documentary. In February, Poul and Chad traveled to Costa Rica and visited a little family-run coffee farm called Sin Limites. Soon after the visit, Sin Limites was hit with some really nasty weather, and their drying facility was destroyed in a storm. It just basically blew away.

Last week, transcend held a special coffee tasting fundraiser with Edmonton Slow Food as a benefit for Sin Limites. In the mini-documentary, Poul and Chad talk about the Sin Limites farm, the benefit tasting and provide some context for the video footage from their visit earlier in the spring.

If you're interested in where your coffee comes from, how it's grown, harvested, and produced, I think you'll find this video interesting. It's only 8 minutes long.



Sin Limites coffee farm, Costa Rica from Poul Mark on Vimeo.

Please, leave a comment and let us know what you thought of this! We're trying a few new things out and we'd like to hear what you think. If you loved it, hated it, thought it was too long, just right, please take a second and tell us.

Transcend had the distinct pleasure of hosting the illustrious Phil & Sebastian duo yesterday.  They had in their entourage, Ben and Jason, who were welcome guests as well.  We did a little cupping and chatted about the usual things coffee people talk about, roasting, bags, equipment, green, the usual stuff.  They all hung out with Chad later and enjoyed some Ethiopian food over at Langano Skies.

One thing I love about the world of Specialty Coffee, that I find myself part of, is the collegiality of those who share my passion for great coffee.  This is especially true of the guys who make Calgary their home, and rock that city with amazing coffee.  They are in the throng of much expansion, and getting their feet wet in terms of roasting, so it is exciting to know that there is another roaster with whom to share information and understanding.  If you live in Calgary or are going to be visiting Cowtown soon, and haven't yet had the opportunity to visit P&S Coffee, make sure you stop by the Calgary Farmer's Market and taste their fare

I had the pleasure of hanging with Colin Newell of Coffeecrew this past weekend in Victoria.  While we were drinking fine coffee at Habit, on Pandora, Colin used his funky techno amazing mic to record a conversation.  He has now posted excepts of that conversation on his website as a podcast.  The entire recording is about 20 minutes long and covers a range of topics including how to ensure quality when traveling; my first encounter with a coffee country; issues facing the coffee industry in light of global warming, and more.  Check it out.  You will find the podcast on the middle of the home page of www.coffeecrew.com and it is labled June Coffeecrew podcast in red typeface.  Stay tuned to transcend's own blog and webpage for upcoming video and podcasts of our own.  Drink less more often.

first things first

I should start with a proper introduction. I’m James Schutz—the new director of marketing here at transcend coffee. I’ve been here a few weeks now and I’ve had a chance to settle in, get to know the team a little better and and formulate some plans and strategies. So I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts and express in a very limited way why I’m so excited to be here.

I should also say that I’m very new to the world of specialty coffee. I’ve enjoyed the high quality coffees transcend has been roasting for about three years now and I’m learning more everyday about what makes a great coffee. But compared to the incredibly educated and experienced experts out there, I am no more than a helpless infant in the world of coffee. I am a marketing professional with a (rapidly expanding) passion for coffee and I hope to continue to refine my palate and increase my coffee knowledge, but it will take time. So please keep all this in mind as you read this and any other posts I may make in the future.

hardly a new idea

What we do here at transcend is not actually a new or revolutionary idea. The notion of finding the best green coffee beans in the world, paying a fair price for them, roasting each coffee differently to bring out its unique characteristics, and preparing and serving coffee with the best tools, method, and tender care, is in fact centuries old. It’s just that—in North America especially—we forgot about all that for a good long while.

But that’s changing. We are beginning to discover—or remember perhaps—all that this amazing plant and beverage has to offer.

‘third wave’ sidebar

Some describe what’s going on in the specialty coffee world right now as the ‘third wave’ of coffee. There seems to be some debate as to exactly what that means, but my understanding is:

• the first wave = the industrialization and wide distribution of coffee


• the second wave = the introduction of espresso to North America and/or the Starbucks phenomenon


• the third wave = pursuit of a truer expression of where the coffee was grown—the terroir to use a wine term—and the quest for the ever-elusive ‘perfect cup’

exciting times ahead

So, you can call it the third wave, an awakening, a rediscovery, or the next step in the evolution of coffee. Whatever you call it, it’s exciting, and it is happening. Right now it’s mostly taking place in small(ish) groups that are slowly growing and gaining momentum. They are supported and led in local communities by micro roasters or high-end cafés who are striving to do coffee at a level higher than the Green Mermaid. These groups are quickly realizing there are others out there, just like them. It’s a movement. Seth Godin would call it a tribe.

And that’s where transcend comes in. We humbly believe that we have something to offer. Our illustrious leader, Poul Mark, in three short years has built a roastery and a café, introduced a city to a new expression of quality in coffee, traveled to several countries and established direct trade relationships, judged several coffee competitions, and has developed a talent and a passion for teaching people about coffee.

That’s really what we want to do. We want to share the knowledge we have—knowing that there are many others out there that have incredible experience and wisdom as well. We want to help as many people as possible to discover, understand and regularly experience coffee at a higher level.

In the next few months we are going to launch some new initiatives and generally try a lot of new things out. We’ll experiment with video and podcasting, and other ways to deliver coffee education and content online. We’ll offer courses and public learning events at our shop. We’re refining our own barista training program. Poul (our president), Chad (our roaster) and Josh (our director of operations) will likely all do some more traveling with the aim to learn more about coffee and bring their knowledge and experience back in order to make better coffee and pass that knowledge on.  And of course plans are underway to open our second café in Edmonton.

we need your help

Throughout this period of expansion and experimentation, we’ll be relying on our customers, our supporters and our fellow coffee industry professionals to let us know what’s working and what’s not. Please tell us what you find compelling and worthwhile and most importantly, what helps to inspire, enrich and enhance great coffee experiences for you.

and finally...

I hope this hasn’t sounded too self-indulgent. That’s not at all how it’s meant. What I hope has come across is the passion and potential I see in this industry and this company in particular that I find so inspiring.

I truly believe that transcend is living up to its name—literally. Transcend is rising above and beyond the simple product of roasted bean and brewed beverage. It is becoming a place, an idea, a philosophy, a dream, a passion, an agent of change, a community, a shared experience. And yes, it is also a very fine cup of coffee.

[caption id="attachment_628" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="COE Samples"][/caption]

The 2009 El Salvador COE auction took place this week.  Transcend wasn't bidding directly, but was happy to take some cartons of fine coffee through Mercanta.  The size of auction lots are still too big for us to handle on our own.  After the auction was over I commented on Twitter that the results were very disappointing.  The overall amounts paid for the coffee were very low compared to previous years; with the average price paid per pound dropping almost $0.75.  You might think as a green buyer that I would be happy about the low prices, and on a purely commercial level, I guess I am.  But from a more global perspective taking into account the human factors and looking towards a sustainable model, the lower prices disappoint me.  I know first hand how hard everyone works at the Consejo, and how well organized the El Salvador COE event is.  I am discovering how great the coffee out of El Salvador is, something most other specialty roasters knew long ago (remember I am pretty new to the specialty coffee industry).  So what is the reason for this drop in prices?  Truthfully I can only speculate.

[caption id="attachment_629" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Winning Results"][/caption]

One might argue that the current global recession is to blame, and that generally speaking, roasters just are only willing to pay around $2.65 - $3.50 per pound for great coffee.  Sure it is true that the first place coffee sold for over $22 per pound which is the highest price paid yet for in El Salvador's history.  But when we look to some of the other auctions this year, we have already seen much higher numbers, with the Best of Panama Auction, the Esmeralda Auction, and even the Colombia COE Auction.  So truthfully, I don't think we can blame the recession for the auction results, as it is clear roasters are willing to pay premiums for what they consider quality.

Another factor might be the average lot size put forward through the El Salvador auction.  While on average the lot sizes were bigger this year, they weren't that much different as each box was vacuumed packaged and contained 75 pounds.  Perhaps scarcity?  We know of the shortage of coffee in Colombia this year, and the same can also be said for Panama.  Perhaps higher prices for these previous countries are a result of short supply?

One of my followers on Twitter suggested that the problem with low prices this year was due to the lateness of the auction, and suggested that most roasters already had filled their orders and the containers had already sailed.  This might also be true, and to be honest I don't know if this is true.  If it is, then for next year it is a simple fix, at least in theory; hold the auction earlier.  The balance though is allowing the coffee to be harvested and processed, and then allowing it enough time for it to rest, so that it shows its true character.  So maybe the fix isn't so simple after all.

[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Building Relationships"][/caption]

Another possible reason for why the auction results aren't as good as in previous years is that the COE program is working.  Essentially the COE program is a high-end marketing venture, which aims to promote the best quality coffee within a participating country, to a discerning marketplace.  One of the natural by-products of assembling an international jury in each country, is that those who volunteer to judge get to know growers directly, and start to have more and more opportunity to buy directly.  I know that I visited some farms in April, and as a result made some purchases of coffee not submitted to the auction.  I know of many other roasters who did the same thing too.  So perhaps the lower prices in this year's auction are a result of decreased demand, as more and more roasters are sourcing their coffee directly.  If this is the real reason for lower prices, than it is a mixed blessing.  On one hand we would like to see COE coffees obtain better prices, and on the other hand, farmers who achieve the COE standards have new opportunities to sell more of their coffee directly to buyers, at higher prices, and in higher volumes.  To me this sounds like good sustainable business practices.

At the end of the day, I don't know what if any one, or any combination of the above resulted in the lower prices this year.  If you have any thoughts on this, or any other issue facing coffee prices, please share your comments with me.