Where to source coffee beans?

Hi Johan, this is a very interesting question. Sourcing coffee beans can be exciting, but it can be a real challenge depending on your goals. You can buy green coffee for trade purposes or roasted coffee beans for personal use or even serve it at your café. Considering the different options, I will try to be as broad as possible to use the advice that fits your purpose better. Buying green coffee usually takes a high degree of knowledge and specialization because assessing green coffee quality is very difficult. Furthermore, it's essential to consider what providers you can approach directly, as it tends to be better both for the buyer and the producer. National and regional coffee associations and cooperatives tend to be a great point to start. Yet, if you can get one-to-one conversations directly with producers is even better. That's why Era of We is so unique and offers so many great opportunities for producers, green coffee buyers, and roasters. To source green coffee, consider the following: - Location of the producer and logistic capabilities - Quality controls and certifications - Varietals - Processing methods When it comes to roasted coffee, it's much easier to find local roasters or order coffee beans online. The advantage of buying coffee this way is that you can get fresh coffee beans roasted just a few days ago. To get roasted coffee beans to serve at your café or for personal use, consider some crucial aspects: - Quality controls and certifications - Roasting capacity and reliability - Coffee freshness Another great option is to visit coffee festivals, where you can meet with many different roasters and producers and try their coffees. You can find additional information from their companies, business practices and even arrange meetings. The coffee industry is becoming more complex every day, with new rules and regulations. Make sure to stay up to date. In this regard, Era of We can be very potent too, because you can connect with all kinds of businesses and people that will help you source great coffee around the world. Whichever way you choose to source coffee, make sure that you assess the quality of the coffee and find a supplier you can trust. Buying coffee is an important decision, so take your time and do your research.