Connection
Bridging the Gap Between Coffee Growers & Coffee Drinkers
At Three Story Coffee, we strive to deepen the connection between the coffee in your cup and the farmers who provided it. We can do this by understanding their stories.
The reality is, there are many challenges facing coffee farmers around the world. Poor working conditions, low wages and unfair government regulations name just a few. It’s incredibly important for us to make an impact in the coffee world by fostering sustainable, mutually-rewarding relationships with our farmers.
We purchase our coffee through direct trade with farmers. In order for farmers to be fairly compensated for their work, we have to charge accordingly. We know that the true cost of cheap coffee often falls on farmers’ shoulders, and we’re incredibly conscious of doing things ethically so that no one is shortchanged for their labor. In addition, we only work with a limited number of farmers at a time — the quality of our relationships will always outweigh the quantity.
Where Our Coffee Farmers Work & Live
Coffee farmers can be found in countries all over the world, and the list of farms we partner with continues to grow. Currently, we’re proud to work with farmers in Guatemala and El Salvador in Central America, Ethiopia and Burundi in Africa, and Sumatra in Indonesia. Soon, we’ll begin sourcing coffee from Kenya as well. Our founders have been fortunate enough to visit many of these farms several times, and the stories of our travels and the people we met are ones we still share around our dinner table frequently.
Meet Our Farmers
El Salvador
Finca Columba, El Salvador | Our first farmer relationship, which we’ve had since 2012. Their Cuzcolecto Anaroebic coffee won a Golden Bean medal. Pictured are Manuel and Julio.
Guatemala
Finca Palestina & Finca El Zapote | We have worked with these two cousins, Joel and Julio Perez, whose farms are next to each other in the Acatenango Valley of Guatemala since 2013.
Burundi
Gaharo Hill | Coffee from Burundi comes from our partnership with Long Miles Coffee, an organization that works with over 5,500 farmers in 11 Hills (or communities). Gaharo Hill is home to approximately 200 coffee farming families.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia is home to our newest farmer relationships. We began sourcing Ethiopian coffee in December 2020 through a new partnership with Catalyst Trade. We can not wait for the opportunity to travel and meet these farmers face to face.
Sumatra
We partner with Santiang Exports, an organization that works with local farmers to develop and produce extremely high quality coffees — arguably the best in Sumatra. This is another farming partner we are eager to visit and meet with in person.
How Our Coffee is Harvested & Processed
The journey of coffee from farm to cup is long and tedious. A perfectly brewed batch of coffee relies heavily on the technique and handling of the process from start to finish. We offer specialty coffee, meaning that it is hand picked and carefully roasted. Our farmers dedicate their lives to growing coffee, and many of them are families who have been in the business for several generations. This helps ensure we deliver a high-quality product, and is a driving force behind our efforts to expand coffee processing education amongst farmers.
Consuming ethically sourced coffee makes a difference in farming communities around the world.