April 2021 - The Coffee Compass

For green coffee buyers, the harvest season is a time of excitement and anticipation as they show up at coffee origins, passport and cupping spoon in hand, to select which lots they want to purchase. In recognition of the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic will keep most coffee roasters from going on origin trips this year, Guatemalan coffee exporters Primavera Coffee have put together a nine-part video series about Guatemalan coffee farming. For those of us in the coffee industry who don’t regularly travel to coffee-producing countries, it’s an intimate look at what is often the most opaque part of the supply chain.

Listen as Kim Staalman narrates different approaches to pruning, harvest practices, and fermentation techniques. But be warned: far from satiating our wanderlust, after watching the series we want to visit Guatemala more than ever!

For many coffee pros, Stuart Ritson needs no introduction. The former chair of the Barista Guild has worn many hats in the coffee industry, including serving as Cafe Imports’ director of European Sales. In 2019 Ritson left that position to take some personal time and reevaluate his long-term goals. After that sabbatical, Ritson launch his own consulting company, a roasting project, and is working to amplify the voice of charities working at coffee origins.

We recently caught up with Ritson over Zoom to learn about his new projects and how taking some time off gave him a new perspective.

How did you get started in coffee?

I was in my last year of college and needed a job. I applied at all sorts of places and nothing stuck. I got an interview at a café and bakery that was re-opening. The new owner had a real focus on specialty coffee. I really fell in love with coffee and wanted to stick it out.

After that, I started with Monocle to run their café in London. It gave me a chance to be hands-on running something, but I didn’t stick that out too long.

I realized my skills are better behind the bar than on the bar, so I joined Workshop Coffee for 3 or so years. I was their wholesale manager and trainer. All sorts of stuff. It was a very formative time for me. By the end, I was cupping like a pro.

In 2019 I left Cafe Imports to take a personal break and work out what I really wanted to be doing. I now have a really broad portfolio of what I do. In essence, I source green coffee, I roast for another brand, and my own brand, Untitled Coffee….

Take a Video Voyage to Guatemala with Primavera Coffee

Good Hands in Coffee: an Interview with Stuart Ritson

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