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

In this first of two episodes, I sit down with Tom Hopkinson, Head of Coffee and Customer Success at ROEST, and dive deep in to coffee roasting. Tom found his way into coffee by opening a café with no experience at all. The café lasted less than a year, but his fascination for coffee only grew. He went on to work at Prufrock, where he learned the fundamentals of coffee, before moving to Dublin to focus on roasting. Later, he continued his journey in Berlin, working with The Barn and Five Elephant, and writing courses and educational content for Barista Hustle. Two years ago, Tom decided to settle down and moved to Norway to join ROEST. My collaboration with ROEST began about 12 years ago, when one of the founders, Sverre, presented his master thesis to me and Morten Wennersgaard (of Nordic Approach.) Sverre's goal was to develop a 1 kg home roaster, but both Morten and I did not see a commercial need for a roaster like that. At the time, we were both frustrated with the limitations of the traditional sample roasters in the market and wanted to contribute to the development of something better. We therefore recommended Sverre to develop a modern sample roaster. Some years later the p100 sample roaster was launched in the market and it has been a huge success ever since. In this episode, Tom and I talk about how the ROEST sample roasters have evolved from those early prototypes to what they are today. We discuss the technological improvements, the shift from manual to more automated processes, and how these innovations have made consistency in roasting more achievable than ever before. Tom also shares his perspective on what sets ROEST apart from other sample roasters and how the company has helped influence the wider roasting industry. Tune in if you are interested in roasting, roaster technology, and the thinking behind one of the most influential sample roasters in today’s coffee world. This is Part 1 of 2, and Part 2 is coming soon. Learn more about ROEST on their website here: https://www.roestcoffee.com/ Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

In this episode, I sit down with Benjamin Paz, a coffee producer from Santa Bárbara, Honduras, and one of the key people behind San Vicente, a coffee exporting company working with over 600 producers in Honduras. His role is to connect producers with buyers, helping to build lasting and healthy relationships that allow both farmers and roasters to grow together. Benjamin’s family has been in coffee since the 1950s, but it was through the Cup of Excellence that they became closely tied to the specialty coffee world. He has since won the competition twice himself, in 2022 and 2024, and continues to inspire producers with his belief that hard work makes anything possible. In our conversation, Benjamin talks about the challenges producers are facing today, from unpredictable weather to pests appearing in new areas, and the importance of keeping workers in the country to secure the future of coffee production. He explains the role of the “middleman” in specialty coffee – helping farmers improve their processing, define a strategy for their farms, and find long-term buyers. Benjamin also shares his personal reasons for buying his own farm, running a coffee shop, and starting a roastery – to truly understand the producers’ perspective and to bring the benefits back to the community. Looking ahead, Benjamin is also part of our TW Biological Project and our ten-year plan to transition all the farms we work with towards regenerative agriculture. His farm is one of the pilot sites where we are already seeing promising results: reduced costs, renewed excitement among workers, and a clearer picture of what the land needs in terms of shade trees and biodiversity. With Benjamin’s involvement, we hope this knowledge can spread further in Santa Bárbara, creating a stronger and more sustainable coffee community.   Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

In this episode, I sit down with Yurany Roa Sanchez, the daughter of Elias Roa and Bellanid Sanchez, the owners of Finca Tamana in Colombia. She grew up surrounded by coffee, first on her parents’ original farm in Acevedo and later at Finca Tamana in Pital, Huila. Now 26 years old, Yurany has a degree in International Business and although her original plan was not to work with coffee, she eventually changed her mind. Today, she manages her own farm while also helping her parents at Finca Tamana and assisting me with my farm, Finca el Suelo, which is located right next to theirs. To manage Finca el Suelo, Yurany works closely with Lalo Perez Varona and Ana Tejedo from Biofilia, who has been supporting us with knowhow since March this year. In this episode, we talk about what Yurani have done so far, the challenges she has faced in coffee production this year – such as finding enough workers during harvest – and her ambitions for the future. Yurany also shares her pride in her parents and their constant drive to improve and develop, as well as her own plans for her farm, Finca Tamana, and Finca el Suelo. Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

In this episode, I talk with Håkon Rydningen, filmmaker and founder of Rammelaus. We have had the pleasure of working with Håkon for the past five years – he is the person behind many of our videos, including the subscription videos. In 2023, Håkon travelled with me to Finca Tamana in Colombia to film the daily life on the farm and document all the work we have done with Elias and Bellanid over the years. Earlier this year, he also joined me on my annual trip to Honduras and El Salvador, where he filmed at Los Pirineos, Finca el Puente and Finca Nacimiento. In this episode we talk about Håkon’s background in film and photography, his relationship with coffee. Håkon has been a coffee enthusiast for quite some time which opens up for a conversation about what he knew about coffee before we started working together, and what his experience with coffee is today after seeing how coffee is produced. Håkon shares his thoughts on what it was like to be a “fly on the wall” during our trips to origin and how spending time on coffee farms changed his perspective on what quality coffee really means. We also talk about the similarities between filmmaking and coffee production, what Håkon has learned along the way, and how he now views the work we do at origin. If you have not yet seen the videos from Finca Tamana or Los Pirineos, you can find them on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@TimWendelboeCoffee Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

In this episode, I sit down with Damian from our team, who became the Norwegian Cup Tasters Champion in March this year. Damian works both as a barista in our espresso bar and as a roaster in our roastery, and he has been part of the team since 2023. We talk about his journey into coffee, how he ended up working with us, and what it is like to work in Norway compared to his previous jobs. We also discuss how he brews coffee at home, what motivates him to keep learning, and how he approaches tasting and quality control in his daily work. As part of his prize for winning the national championship, Damian travelled to Honduras to take part as a judge in the Cup of Excellence – a competition for high-quality coffees. He shares his impressions from visiting coffee farms for the first time, what he learned from producers like Jobneel, and how seeing the production side of coffee has shaped his perspective. This week, Damian will represent Norway in the World Cup Tasters Championship in Geneva. We talk about his goals for the competition, how he has been preparing, and what he has learned about himself through the process. Music by my uncle, Jens Wendelboe.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.