Written by Sam Mirto, Director of Coffee During my second trip to coffee producing countries, I spent time in both El Salvador and Guatemala. This trip was every bit as impactful and memorable as my trip to Costa Rica, but for different reasons - as you’ll see. We started out flying into San Salvador in El Salvador, and that’s where I’ll begin. El Salvador is nestled between Honduras and Guatemala in Central America. Before the trip, I was told that the country has some really serious issues with gang violence, which made me a bit apprehensive. As our plane emerged...

Written by Sam Mirto, Director of Coffee I feel like this is a topic I talk about all the time, but I don’t ever get tired of it. Coffee and beer end up in the same conversations on the reg, and for good reason. More and more these days, we’re seeing beer people in coffee bars, coffee people in breweries, coffee in beer, cold brew coffee that drinks like beer, skinny jeans, mug clubs, ironic mustaches, merch for days, collabs, bikes, those hats with the short brims, haircuts that are like shaved on the bottom and really long on top….Shoot,...

There’s really nothing beautiful about a Mr. Coffee brewer, or a Keurig, or really any kind of coffee brewer that you might traditionally find in someone’s home. These plastic machines tend to sit on a person’s counter, and while they might come in unique colors or fancy prints, they never actually get to be part of the conversation. Nobody cares that your Mr. Coffee is red - what really matters is how the coffee tastes. But what if you didn’t have to compromise? What if you could brew great tasting coffee, and have a beautiful coffee brewer sitting on your...

Written by Sam Mirto, Director of Coffee   The specialty coffee industry continues to gain market share against the macro roasters of the world. Whether this is a result of a shift in ethos among the masses and representative of the food and beverage industry as a whole, or a movement that is specific to the coffee industry is up for debate, but no one can deny that people are more willing to pay for quality and sustainability these days. The validity of this movement is even evidenced by “macro” producers putting out ad campaigns that claim prowess for their...