Roasting Specialty Coffee in the Tug Hill Region
OUR PARTNERS
Direct Trade is one of those terms that’s thrown around without a consistent definition.
One would think that direct trade coffee is like going to the farmers market and purchasing a tomato from a farmer. Going to a coffee farm handing the farmer money and driving off with his or her coffee. Unfortunately, coffee and international trade are not that simple. Some countries allow you to purchase coffee directly from farmers, in others you have to work with a state sanctioned exporter. Until relatively recently all coffee from Ethiopia (with a handful of unique exceptions) had to clear the national exchange.
At Tug Hill Artisan Roasters, when we use the term “Direct Trade” it implies two things. Click the button below to learn more about the ins-and-outs of Direct Trade here at Tug Hill Artisan Roasters.
One would think that direct trade coffee is like going to the farmers market and purchasing a tomato from a farmer. Going to a coffee farm handing the farmer money and driving off with his or her coffee. Unfortunately, coffee and international trade are not that simple. Some countries allow you to purchase coffee directly from farmers, in others you have to work with a state sanctioned exporter. Until relatively recently all coffee from Ethiopia (with a handful of unique exceptions) had to clear the national exchange.
At Tug Hill Artisan Roasters, when we use the term “Direct Trade” it implies two things. Click the button below to learn more about the ins-and-outs of Direct Trade here at Tug Hill Artisan Roasters.
Finca El Jardin, Guatemala
Our first direct trade partner. We met at a festival in Northern NY in 2018. Pablo and Eva were at the French Festival in Northern NY selling their hair accessory the “Fun Bun” raising money to improve the operations at their farm in Guatemala. Since then, It’s been fun watching each others businesses grow over the years. We first purchased coffee directly from Finca El Jardin in 2019. In 2024 Pablo and Eva had one of their coffees take third place at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence in the “One of a Kind” category. We look forward to releasing amazing micro lots from Finca El Jardin every year.
Finca la Moradita, Honduras
A friend of a friend told us that we needed to check out Finca La Moradita in the Copan region of Honduras. At first, we were a little hesitant just because we didn’t know what the level of quality was going to be. Armando Rodgriguez sent some analysis of his coffee from IHCAFE and we were pretty impressed. After the Producer Roaster Forum, Pablo, Vanessa, Noah and I drove across the border to Honduras and met with Armando. We didn’t have a lot of time, but we were able to sample coffees, see the farm and get the ball rolling on figuring out how to export and import coffee from Honduras. Armando’s passion for growing great coffees became very evident to us during our visit. He was the recipient of a scholarship which allowed him to study coffee cultivation at a local college. Upon completion of his degree, he returned to the family farm and started implementing the horticultural practices he had been introduced to and it shows. We’re exciting about continuing this new relationship with Armando and seeing what great coffees we can get from the Copan region of Honduras.
There are fourty bags of coffee combined coming from Armando and Doublas this year.
Finca La SerrAnia, Guatemala
This is a true story of collaboration. At the Producer Roaster Forum in Guatemala City we met Maria from Finca La Serrania. She was carrying around a few coffees from her family farm and was hoping that we would cup them. Pablo and Eva opened up their booth to Maria so she could let others also cup her coffees. We were very impressed. As we talked about the coffees we learned that they had a natural mutation occur on their farm and as far as we know, it’s the only place where you can get this new coffee called the “Kimono” varietal. It’s called that because the coffee cherries are so big and heavy that they cause the branches of the coffee tree to droop down and is reminiscent of a Japanese Kimono. Pablo and Eva also graciously offered to help Maria export her coffee. Tug Hill Artisan Roasters is grateful for this collaboration and the opportunity to bring these coffees to market here in New York.
After the Producer Roaster Forum in San Salvador, Scott was able to travel to Ficna La Serrania and visit the farm first hand. It certainly is a special place. We're looking forward to getting 6 bags of this year's "Kimono".
Finca El Corinto, Honduras
Alex and I met at the Producer Roaster Forum in Guatemala City in spring of 2024. We stayed in touch throughout the summer and then when the opportunity presented itself to return to Central America in November of 2024 we made sure to prioritize catching up. Alex has been experimenting with new varietals has microlots and is ready to offer some unique post harvest processes.
We still have two lots from the 2024-25 Season. Twenty bags of coffee representing 5 different lots are on their way representing the 2025-26 harvest
Finca El sicin D, Honduras
It's been a pleasure getting to know Doublas. The first night Vanessa, Noah and I were in Honduras, we spent the night around the table talking about coffee and possibilities. The hospitality Doublas' family demonstrated (and probably the noise of the annual carnival in the background) all contributed to us knowing that we were in a special place.
Doblas' family has been farming coffee for generations. His 9 year old son is looking forward to leading the farm into the future. Doblas saw the success that Armando was having implementing new horticultural techniques and decided he needed to learn. He's been learning from Armando and has recently been watching the quality of his coffee improve.
Finca la floresta, Huila, colombia
Diego Andrés Gómez and Scott met at the Producer Roaster Forum in Sand Pedro Sula, Honduras. The forum was hosting a "speed dating" workshop where producers and roasters were encouraged to give their elevator pitches and exchange samples all within 5 minutes.
Diego's enthusiasm for growing and processing unique varietals of coffee exceptionally well came across very clearly. Once Scott returned to the roastery with samples in hand we cupped the coffees. Needless to say, they lived up to our expectations.
Diego is into competitive coffee and is currently (summer 2025) Huila Aeropress Champion. As such, he will be representing Huila at the Colombian National Cold Brew Championships.
The Tug Hill Crew visited Finca La Floresta in January 2026. We had a great time learning about Diego's passion for growing great coffees.
Finca Palmira
Chito, Ecuador
In Santiago's Words:
Palmira Ecuadorian Coffee is a coffee farm located in the south of Ecuador. Specifically, it’s in the Province of Zamora Chinchipe, very close to the border with Peru and the Cajamarca region, one of the most recognized coffee producing regions of the neighboring country.
Our farm is located in the high Amazons at 1,600 meters above sea level. Surrounded by mountains, forests and a fresh climate ideal for the production of specialty grade coffee. We are actually working to transform old grasslands into coffee production. This contributes positively to the environment using agroforestry systems that combine coffee with native shade trees and other vegetation.
Today, we have approximately 5 acres in cultivation. This is the equivalent of 10,000 coffee trees. We’re cultivating varieties like Improved Typica, Bourbon, Sidra, Pink Bourbon, Catimor, and most recently we’ve established a small lot of Laurina, a variety known for its low caffeine content.
As a farm, our primary objective is to transform our area into a well known region for specialty grade coffee production in the south of Ecuador and position Chito and High Ecuadorian Amazon on the map as one of the greatest coffee producing regions of the world. We are convinced that our zone has all the necessary conditions: altitude, climate, soils, biodiversity and above all families with deep coffee traditions.
For many years, coffee agriculture in our area has been managed in a traditional manner. Unfortunately this has been associated with low wages and this has caused much of the youth to migrate to nearby cities looking for work opportunities. Without a doubt, for the last six years, thanks to projects improving the quality of coffee agriculture, the introduction of new varieties and a focus on improved post harvest processes many families have started to transform their production methods and are now focusing on specialty coffee.
Today we have a new vision: produce coffees of higher quality using more sustainable methods with the objective of generating higher incomes for the families of producers.
In Palmira we want to be a part of this transformation. Our dream is not only to produce exceptional coffees, but also to demonstrate to the enormous potential that Chito has to become one of the largest specialty grade coffee producing regions, not only of Ecuador, but the world.