Lehmus Roastery only uses coffee beans that are traceable back to the farm. This way we can ensure the ethics of production, the quality of the coffee, and that the primary producer also receives fair compensation for the work done.
Reliable coffee brokers play an important role in this chain. One of Lehmus Roastery's partners is Cafe Imports. The broker, with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, has been supplying specialty coffees to customers around the world for 25 years.
Lehmus Roastery is assisted by Stuart Ritson from England, who stopped by Lappeenranta last week to get to know our roastery's operations - and a little bit of Lappeenranta as well.
Stuart, you just had your first hydrogen, how did it taste?
"That was really good! You can't really go wrong with a deep-fried, fatty bun filled with minced meat and topped with egg and ham. I also tried the veggie version. That was good too, but my stomach was already pretty full from the original version."
You work at Cafe Imports' Berlin office. What does Cafe Imports do - in a nutshell?
"We buy and sell coffee, to put it simply. But we actually do a wide range of things with coffee. Our purpose is to find and support good coffee farms and growers and deliver their coffee to coffee roasters around the world.
Our work involves a lot of travel. We visit international fairs and countries of origin, supervise production and help develop it.
We strive to build long-term customer relationships with farmers and roasters. We help farmers, for example, by providing small loans so that they can develop their operations - in many South and Central American countries, getting a loan can be difficult due to the situation in the country. If we believe in something, we want to help that farmer's coffee reach the world."
Stuart Ritson also enjoyed our roastery. Pictured is Stuart, a package of Pusupuisto and sacks of El Salvadoran beans from which Pusupuisto is made. Cafe Imports has an El Salvadoran employee who spends part of the year on site helping and supervising the farmers.
Many roasters search for coffee farms themselves and order coffee directly from the farm. What benefits does Cafe Imports bring to the roaster?
"We handle all the so-called boring work, such as paperwork related to shipments and freight, other bureaucratic matters and transportation to the destination. In addition, the intermediary plays a big role in quality control in many ways. We also bear the risk. If a roaster orders a large batch of beans from around the world, but things go wrong during transportation, for example, the entire operation of the roaster could be at risk. We can afford to take some risks, so to speak, because we order so much coffee that a spoiled batch can fit into the margin."
Specialty coffees are more expensive than regular coffee. Why is it worth drinking more expensive coffee?
"Not everyone will ever drink specialty coffees, and that's perfectly acceptable. But for others, the origin, ethics, personality, and precise traceability of the coffee have value. Being able to say you know exactly where the coffee comes from and knowing that the producer has received a fair reward for it."
We also want coffee to be recognizable. Although we care about coffee, good coffee is not ours, but the farmer's. This kind of precise farm-specific traceability is actually a fairly new phenomenon in the coffee world. Before, you could only buy Brazilian or Colombian coffee beans, but now people want to know more about their backgrounds."
What about you, what was your background when you got into the coffee world?
"My background is from the small town of Cambridge. Yes, that's where the university is located, and I actually studied Chinese language and culture there. However, after graduating, I ended up becoming a barista, opening the Monocle magazine's London café, and working with coffee and tea. As a Brit, tea has always been close to my heart, but coffee became more and more interesting.
When a position opened up at Cafe Imports in their Berlin office, I decided to apply. I wanted to learn more about coffee, roasting, and generally improve myself."
Roast master Visa Tuovinen packages coffees for customers, while Stuart oversees the roastery's operations.
You've been following Lehmus Roastery for a while now. What does it look like in Lappeenranta, and what does the roastery's operations look like?
"Lappeenranta and Finland in general looks really beautiful and clean, everything is well taken care of. All the people I've met have been incredibly friendly.
At Lehmus Roastery, I've been surprised by how mature and professional your operations are, even though you've only been around for such a short time. I also like the alternative way you brand your products, so that your operations aren't just about hype."
>> Read more at cafeimports.com