Timor-Leste Eratoi
Located at 1800masl, Eratoi is one of the highest altitude communities that Karst works with. The resulting cooler temperatures found at this height means coffee cherries require slightly more time to ripen so the harvest date is moderately later when compared to our lower altitude groups. Karst has now worked collaboratively with the Eratoi community for seven continuous years having first entered into partnership with lead farmer, Simao Pedro de Deus (now Karst’s field manager) in 2019. Eratoi has now become the largest group that Karst works with and as of 2025, now consists of 40 smallholder farmers each of whom diligently process their coffee in their individual households using traditional practices passed down through generations.
Uganda Kalingwe AA
Arabica coffee has been grown in the Rwenzori region of Uganda for as long as anyone can remember, and the conditions of high rainfall, altitude from 1300 to over 2000 masl, and rich volcanic soils are perfect for the production of top quality speciality arabica coffee. Practically all coffee is grown by smallholder farmers. The typical size of plot is between 1 and 2 acres. The main varietals are SL28 and SL14, but with a range of other older varietals which contribute to the rich complexity of the coffee produced.
In the past, coffee from this area has not had a good reputation. Poor harvesting and processing and long delays in processing and shipping resulted in an inconsistent, unreliable and low grade product.
Agri Evolve is committed to turning that around, and since 2016 they have seen a significant improvement. Motivating the farmers to harvest only red cherries by paying top price for the very best cherries is where it starts, and then careful processing and adhering to the highest standards, together with training and support for the farmers results in a high quality product. Rwenzori coffee is typically bright, fruity, clean and complex which regularly scores 85 and above and this offering from Kalingwe is one of the best of the 2023 arrivals.
Peru Salkantay
In September 2025 we made our second origin trip to Peru to source beans from the Huadquina Cooperative in the remote town of Santa Teresa in the Sacred Valley. The valley winds for around 60km from the ancient Incan city of Cusco into the Andean highlands. It follows the spectacular Urubamba river and is surrounded by jagged peaks that include the fearsome, snow topped mountain Salkantay (6,271m) upon whose slopes this coffee is grown. The area is still deemed sacred by many as it was once at the heart of the Incan empire and is a relatively short distance from the famous Incan ruins at Machu Picchu.
Five producers contributed to this lot all growing coffee above 2000 meters on the slopes of Mt Salkantay. All are members of the 300 member strong Huadquina Co-operative whose offices, mill and warehouse is in the sleepy town of Santa Teresa on the banks of the Rio Urubamba.
The co-operative works with over 300 producers and astonishingly most of them are producing certified organic coffees. The quality of the coffee is very high with some Cup of Excellence winners and many of the lots scoring 86+ including the coffee in this lot. This is our second year sourcing coffee direct from the Huadquina co-operative and hope it will be a relationship that will continue to thrive in the coming years.
