Happy New Year, Ruby fans! There are many things I’m grateful for at the start of 2025, and one of them is that I have the privilege to begin the year drinking delightful coffees. Plus, I get to tell you about a couple of them! This month's subscription includes Honduras Rigoberto for Bright & Lively and half of Roaster’s Choice, and Colombia La Union for Rich & Sweet and the other half of Roaster’s Choice. Both of these coffees have revisited the menu for a few years now, and Ruby is proud to offer them again this time around. Forget “out with the old, in with the new.” These coffees are a reminder that building long-term relationships is invaluable.
First up is Honduras Rigoberto Rodriguez. This is the eighth year that Ruby has purchased coffee from this producer, and there’s a reason for that. Not only has his small lot proven itself to be sweet, with notes of fruit and baking spice, year after year, but it’s also produced with the utmost care and respect for the environment. For example, instead of being fully washed, his coffee cherries undergo a honey process, meaning the cherries essentially skip the washing stage, and are dried with some of the sticky, sugary mucilige still on the beans. In addition to influencing the flavor profile, this greatly decreases water consumption, allowing for a nearly zero-waste process. Rigoberto’s commitment to sustainability is admirable, and his coffee is not organically certified only due to the high expense for a small farm to gain such certifications. This is one of a multitude of obstacles that producers may come across, but luckily there are groups in many countries that are working to ease the difficulties that producers face. Take, for example, the cooperative FUDAM in Colombia, which is where the other January subscription coffee hails from.
Colombia La Union comes from FUDAM, a group that focuses on environmental sustainability, as well as the financial and economical sustainability for coffee producers in La Union. When I traveled to Colombia in 2023 with one of Ruby’s importers, I was fortunate enough to meet some members of FUDAM, and tour their farms. I witnessed how difficult it is to be a coffee producer there, and after seeing all that FUDAM does to help its members, I am proud that Ruby is bringing their coffee in again this year. La Union kicks off a great lineup of fresh Colombian coffees that will be arriving to our menu in 2025. Fun fact: Colombia makes up 36% of what we roast here at Ruby!
So when you’re drinking your coffee this month, keep in mind all the hard work that the producers put into it, and join us in raising a cup to them. Here’s to the coffee producers, and to building strong relationships for years to come!
Happy New Year,
Emily