Tim Wendelboe Podcast

Episode 43: Why is regenerative coffee farming the future? A conversation with Lalo Perez from Biofilia

In this episode, I sit down with Lalo Perez to talk about biological agriculture and how it differs from conventional coffee farming.

Lalo begins by sharing his background in coffee, and how a frustrating remark, that there is no good coffee from Mexico, sparked his journey into biological agriculture and led to the founding of his company, Biofilia.

We discuss what biological agriculture actually means, why it is needed, and how coffee farming must evolve in response to climate change. Lalo explains how farmers can make the shift in a practical and meaningful way, with a strong focus on bringing life back into the soil.

We also speak about the commitment I have made to the farmers we work with: within ten years, all the coffee I purchase must be grown biologically without the use of harmful fertilizers and agrochemicals.

All of them have agreed to take part in this transition, and we have launched pilot trials on six farms as part of what we call the "TW Biological Project". In these trials, we compare biological and conventional farming practices side by side in order to assess their impact over a three-year period.

Lalo and his team at Biofilia are key partners in this project, and we are working closely with them to implement trials on all the farms we collaborate with.

We talk about the changes we hope to see, and how we are working together to reach our long-term goals.

Music by my uncle, Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 42: Our 10-Year Plan for Regenerative Coffee Farming - A Conversation with Maren Myhre Gullvik

The biggest project we are working on right now is what we call our "TW Biological Project". Our goal is that all the farms we buy from in 10 years will be practising regenerative and biological farming. We are currently testing this on six farms in latin-America, where we are comparing biological farming techniquea to how they are currently working (conventional farming) on two similar areas of each farm to see what the results will be within three years. We are discussing the results we expect and how we plan to work to reach our goal. 

In this episode, I sit down with Maren from our team. Maren has worked with us since 2021, having previously worked as both a barista and a coffee roaster, before moving to Italy to complete her Master's degree in local development. She has now finished her degree and is currently our project coordinator for sustainability. She is leading the development of our sustainability strategy and works closely with me and the farmers we buy from.

We talk about regenerative agriculture, what it means and why it could be the future of coffee. We discuss topics such as biological farming vs conventional farming, sustainable consumption, greenwashing, certifications in coffee, climate change effects , and labour on coffee farms.

One of Maren's main focus right now is EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation). The main objective of the regulation is to uncover potential cases of deforestation related to coffee production, and end the supply of products on the European market that has contributed to deforestation. We need to map and have an overview of the farms we work with to verify whether or not deforestation or forest degradation has taken place, which is a lot of work – even for us, as we only work with a handful of coffee farmers.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe. 

Episode 41: Coffee in Kenya - A conversation with Stephen Vick

In this episode, I sit down with my good friend Stephen Vick during my recent visit to Kenya. Stephen shares his journey in the coffee industry, which began in Oregon, USA, and has since brought him to Kenya. Together, we reflect on how the industry has evolved over the more than twenty years we have both been a part of it.

Stephen works for the Danish Coop, a grocery store chain in Scandinavia. He oversees their roasting and export of roasted coffee from Kenya to Scandinavia. He explains how his work in Kenya operates and the impact of exporting roasted coffee as opposed to unroasted coffee makes locally.

We talk about the supportive barista community in Nairobi, where sharing knowledge has become more common and important for growth. We also discuss robusta coffee and the increasing interest in experimenting with new cultivars.

Additionally, we talk about the rise of organically certified coffees in Kenya, which is still relatively rare but showing promising growth. Finally, Stephen shares what excites him most about the future of Kenyan coffee and the local coffee community.
Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 40: 2024 - A Coffee Year in Review

In this episode, I sit down with Ben Symes, our wholesale manager, to reflect on the highlights of 2024.

We discuss our favourite coffees of the year, including the washed coffee from Tatmara and the Java from Finca Tamana, as well as developments on the farms we work with. Tim also shares insights from the farmer symposium he held in Honduras and our plans to help convert all the farms we work with to biological farming practices.

This year brought many memorable experiences, such as time spent in Kenya with Klaus Thomsen, our pop-up at the Coffee Collective in Denmark, the Ljubljana Coffee Festival with James Hoffmann, and a special dinner at Noma to mark the close of our chapter with them.

Being recognised as the best roastery by Roastful was a standout moment, made possible by the dedication of our team across every aspect of the business, from roasting and packaging to serving in the espresso bar and managing orders. But we would not be where we are without the hard work and dedication that all the coffee producers we buy from put in every year.

Finally, we reflect on what it means to be the "Best Roaster" and look ahead to 2025 with new harvests and plans.

Join us for a review of 2024 and a look at what is to come.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 39 - Q&A Part 2 - We answer questions from our followers. With Ben Symes & Tim.

In this episode, I am joined by our Wholesale Manager, Ben Symes, to answer your questions.

This is the second part of our Q&A podcast episode, where we answer questions sent in by our followers. In this episode, we focus on your questions about brewing, as well as other topics such as coffee buying and origin.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 38 - Q&A Part 1 - We answer questions from our followers. With Ben Symes & Tim.

In this episode, I am joined by our Wholesale Manager, Ben Symes, to answer your questions.

Earlier in October, we invited you to send in any questions you had for us. We received such a great response that we had to split the podcast into two parts. In this episode, Ben and I will be focusing on your questions about roasting and tasting.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 37 - Coffee in Ethiopia - A conversation with Mats Fredheim Vidby

In this episode, I’m joined by Mats Fredheim Vidby, our roastery team leader and one of our dedicated coffee roasters, who has been with us since 2021.

Our conversation this time takes a deep dive into Ethiopian coffee, focusing on how we select and buy coffees from the birthplace of coffee. We will be discussing the farms we work with, Echemo and Tatmara, and go in to details about the fresh harvest that has just arrived at our roastery. 

We will also provide updates on the latest developments at these farms over the past few years.

Mats has come prepared with some interesting questions about Ethiopian coffees, and we have also gathered a selection of questions from our Instagram followers, which we will be answering at the end of the episode.

Tune in to hear Mats and me talk about Ethiopian coffee and learn more about why these coffees are so special to us.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

Episode 36 - Future Plans and a Year in Review at Los Pirineos with Diego Baraona

In this episode, I am back at Diego Baraona's farm, Los Pirineos, in El Salvador, one year after our last recording. Since then, significant developments have unfolded both on the farm and in Diego's future plans.

Having closely collaborated with Diego for nearly four years, and previously with his father, Gilberto Baraona, I've witnessed Diego's growth as a coffee producer firsthand. Taking over the farm after his father's passing, Diego has shown considerable progress.

Last year, I organised a trip to Guatemala for the farmers we buy coffee from in Latin America - Diego, Moises, Marysabel, and Elias - introducing them to Josué Morales, a dedicated organic coffee producer. The aim was to inspire a shift towards organic cultivation, with my personal goal of exclusively buying organically grown coffee from Latin America within the next decade.

Diego was particularly moved by this experience, with plans now underway to transition Los Pirineos into a fully organic farm in the coming years.

Despite being a successful coffee farmer, Diego is planning to scale down his farm. He'll delve into the reasons behind this decision and shed light on the challenges he currently faces as a coffee producer.

Looking ahead, Diego together with his mother, plan to open a hotel on his farm in the near future, offering coffee enthusiasts from all over the world an opportunity to visit his farm and delve deeper into the world of coffee.

In terms of processing, there have been notable shifts in Diego's approach. While he previously experimented with various methods, he now primarily focuses on washed coffees. He will share insights into the reasons for this shift.

If you stay until the end of the episode, Diego will answer questions submitted by you through our Instagram.

To learn more about the Los Pirineos farm, visit our website.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe. 

Episode 35 - Inside Kenya’s Coffee Market - Part 2

In this episode, I am joined by Muki Yeung, specialty coffee trader at C. Dormans in Kenya, to explore the current dynamics of Kenya's coffee market.

With over a decade of experience working in coffee both in Australia, Brazil and Kenya,  Muki offers valuable insights into the evolving coffee buying process in Kenya. We delve into recent shifts in market dynamics and their implications for the available coffee selections. During my recent cupping sessions for purchasing coffees, I observed significant changes, and Muki shares her insights to the underlying reasons.

We discuss Mukis theory on the decline in standout coffees, linking it to the high focus on efficient production methods and the growing use of hybrid coffee varieties. We talk about the potential impact of these changes on Kenya's coffee industry and brainstorm strategies to reverse this trend.

As Muki prepares to transition from C. Dormans to managing multiple coffee estates, she aims to establish best practices for coffee production in Kenya, including sustainable water management post-fermentation. 

Our conversation also touches on why many buyers still perceive cooperatives as the primary source of the best coffees.

We conclude by acknowledging our shared belief that paying a higher price for coffee is essential, and that we have to continue to reward people for producing high quality products. Failing to do so makes it challenging to maintain quality standards.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

If you are interested in learning more about coffee pricing, you can check out the "The importance of transparency in coffee — A conversation with Coffee Collective (#15)". You find it here: https://timwendelboe.no/2023/10/the-importance-of-transparency-in-coffee-a-conversation-with-coffee-collective-15/

Episode 34 - Inside Kenya's Coffee Market - Part 1

In this episode, I have the pleasure of sitting down with my friend Kennedy Keya, director of trading and operations at C.Dorman in Kenya.

Join us as we delve into our coffee-buying process in Kenya today.

In the past year, there have been significant changes in how the coffee market operates in Kenya. Previously, companies like C.Dorman were involved in multiple stages of the coffee production process. However, new regulations now limit companies to performing just one role within the coffee value chain. Kennedy, representing C.Dorman, shares valuable insights into how they are adapting to these changes and discusses the potential impact of these changes on the future of the coffee industry in Kenya. 

We also discuss what makes Kenyan coffee so exceptional, delving into the factors that contribute to its unique flavor profile and why prices for Kenyan coffee tend to be higher compared to those from other countries.

Kennedy also share some of the challenges that have led to a decline in coffee production and quality in Kenya in recent years, offering thoughtful perspectives on potential solutions to reverse this trend.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.