S6:EP4
Guest: Jared Hales, Hacea Coffee Source
Role: Co-Founder & Green Coffee Buyer
From: Anaheim, CA
Instagram: @haceacoffeesource
Website: https://haceacoffee.com/
It’s great to get the perspective of a green coffee buyer. It helps get into the mind of both sides of the coffee transaction, the farmers, and the roasters.
A coffee plant takes 2-4 years to be production-ready. Newer varieties will grow faster because…umm…science. Once mature, a tree can produce for upwards of 50 years, assuming the trees aren’t attacked by coffee rust or an out-of-season frost, or drastic weather event. However, the number of cherries a tree produces will decline, and the flavor will change as the tree ages.
Farms will counter declined production by periodically cutting a tree or section of coffee trees down. The process—called stumping—inspires new growth and increased production. They’ll continue that process until a tree is no longer producing cherries as needed, at which point that section of the farm will be replanted with new coffee plants beginning the cycle over. More on trees below.
You’ll be happy to know Jared and I did get together for coffee this week. This show started during covid and as such, I’ve had quite a few conversations with people, even repeat guests like Jared without actually meeting them! Both Jared and I will be at Coffee Fest LA this coming week. Don’t hesitate to say, “Hello.”
FROM THE SHOW
Jared’s recommendation this week: Arcade Coffee Roasters in Riverside, CA. They have two locations, but Jared specifically called out The Bakehouse. The food on their social media accounts look pretty stellar. @arcaderoasters
Per Jared, a varietal is a genetic mutation of a coffee plant that occurs naturally, and a cultivar is a coffee plant variation that has been developed by humans through crossbreeding. The terms are often mixed up or used incorrectly.
Wisconsin’s tipped employee wage requirement is $2.35, not $4.35, and the general minimum is $7.25.
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TREES
A tree can be a shrub and a shrub can be a tree. A shrub can also be a bush, but a bush is unlikely to be a tree. Oh, and apparently banana trees are none of the above. They are an herb. So now that we’ve got that all figured out…
The terms tree, bush, and shrub are generally applied based on appearance. Trees are often tall, single trunk, woody plants and shrubs have multiple trunks, are short, and rounded in shape. Bushes are similar in description to a shrub but there are (likely passionate) arguments for when to use the term based on the plants location and whether or not the foliage is touching the ground. The term used is a linguistic choice and some plants can visually grow either way. There isn’t a hard and fast rule.
I found two articles on TheSpruce.com that helped clarify some of the variations. Read about Trees Vs. Shrubs and Shrubs Vs. Bushes.
During the show, I mentioned two books about trees that I strongly recommend. I accidentally said, “The Secret Life of…” when I meant “The Hidden Life of…” I only mention it because there is a book with the title, The Secret Life of Trees, that I have not read and can’t vouch for.
The first book walks through the relationships between trees, nature, and humans from the perspective of the author, and incorporates his observations with scientific study. The second interweaves the story of multiple protagonists in terms of their relationships with trees. It’s a book as dense as a pine forest, and Powers does a good job of bringing it all together in the end.
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World, by Peter Wohlleben (non-fiction)
The Overstory, by Richard Powers (fiction)
I’ve interviewed two coffee farmers on this show and we spent more time talking about trees. Jay Ruskey, the founder of Frinj Coffee and Good Land Organics spoke to me twice. First about his entrepreneurial journey (streaming below) and second specifically about the impacts of climate change on coffee plants and farmers.
Kyle Rosa is one of the farmers in the Frinj Coffee network of small, domestic farmers and the owner of Breakers Coffee+Wine in Del Mar, California. He joined the show to chat more about why he gave up his career to be a farmer and what the first few years of prepping his coffee plants for production were like.
MENU BOARD OF THE WEEK
I have an affinity for typography and text design. It isn’t something people often think about, but as coffee shop customers, we’re confronted with both every time we look at the menu board. I recently realized I have an inordinate number of photos of coffee shop menus. I’ll be posting them here.
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Coffee Smarter: Coffee Trees