Our Coffee Subscription Pick: September 1 - 15

Ethiopia, Amaro Gayo.

A new arrival for Fall, this season's Ethiopia, Amaro Gayo is one of the best single origin coffees that we’ve had the pleasure of sharing with Salt Spring Coffee fans in the past few years - and it comes with a great background story.

Meet Asnakech Thomas.

Full of blackberry and jasmine tea-like tasting notes, this extraordinary coffee is milled and exported by Asnakech Thomas, the sole owner of the Amaro mill and a 250-hectare coffee farm in Ethiopia's Sidamo province. Incredibly, Asnakech is the only female miller and coffee exporter in the whole of Ethiopia.

And although Asnakech’s coffee is certified organic, it is not labeled certified fair trade. Why?

Asnakech commands a higher than normal price for her coffee, much higher in fact that the price paid for the average fair trade certified coffee from the Sidamo province. Acquiring fair trade certification at this stage would needlessly cut into Asnakech’s income, resulting in fewer direct funds for her and her family.

Enjoy your cup,

Banks Thomas, Director of Coffee