Volcano Coffee Roasters
Kurt Stewart is the man behind Volcano coffee works which was founded in 2010.
Kurt grew up in coffee-mad New Zealand and created Volcano to bring the great tatsing coffee he had grown up with to the UK.
He did this while supporting the livelihoods of the communities who grow and produce it.
Volcano started life as a coffee cart that graced the streets of West Norwood but has now grown to a team of 30 passionate coffee people that operate out of their state of the art coffee roastery in Brixton.
The first batch of the day is always roasted by Kurt who is still the beating heart of the coffee business.
Volcano consistently produce some of the best coffee available in the UK at such a high volume.
Batch Coffee Club
Volcano Coffee Works believes in complete Supply Transparency, which means they insist on knowing where their coffee is from and visiting many of their farmers annually.
This level of transparency is important, it enables Volcano to ensure they only buy coffee from farmers, co-ops and importers who they are confident believe in the same ethical principles they do.
Volcano commit to their farms, putting in place long term buying contracts at fixed prices, absorbing the external variables like currency fluctuations.
The security of a sustainable, recurring and improving income allows farmers to invest, creating a positive cycle of improved earnings.
They are in the business of better coffee and business for everyone in their supply chain.
We sip and slurp coffee from all over the world. Discover which of these were our teams favourite.
But Volcano don’t stop there. They only buy coffee when they are confident the farmer meets all three of our Ethical Trading Pillars.
Farmers often achieve a Pillar in different ways than another, but for all Volcano coffees they are confident that by supporting their farmers, they are making a positive impact in each of these areas.
Sustainable Livelihoods
Environmental Good
Social Progress
Box 94
29•11•23
Origin
The Fazenda Mio coffee from Volcano originates from the Monte Santo de Minas region of Brazil.
Together with Fazenda Mio and the Instituto do Espirito Santo, Volcano have founded Sombra, an agroforestry and coffee farming system project that looks to eliminate mono crop culture in coffee farming across all of Brazil.
The Sombra Project
Sombra (meaning ‘shade’ in Portuguese) is a five-year agroforestry project and the combined effort of three parties in Brazil:
Professor Lucas Louzada – Universtity of Espirito Santos (Research)
Fazenda MIO (private)
Volcano Coffee Works (market)
This is how the project breaks down over time:
Stage One/Year One
1. Reforest all land which surrounds the natural water sources such as creeks, rivers, natural reservoirs, rivers etc. This is critical in order to establish and protect clean water systems
2. Plant all non-coffee trees on a systematic grid laid out by species, with proximity enough to allow for mechanised picking and drone application of fertilizer and allowing to achieve canopy stratification
Stage Two/Year Two
1. Plant all coffee trees once 12-month growth on canopy trees is achieved
2. Reforest all remaining land that surrounds coffee plants to complete a contiguous forest system
Stage Three/Year Three
1. Harvest and cultivation + full research phase. This is where
the real research sets in regarding how to
a. Manage and scale harvest within the system
b. Analyse relationships between coffee and trees species and roots systems to further develop quality and yield protocols
c. Full sensory analysis over all variants of coffee species and tree species interaction
Stage 4/Year 4
Complete and publish data sets and create a farming template with commercial models to accredit the project as a legitimately recognised carbon-negative practice
Stage 5/Year 5
Implement Sombra methodology across the entirety of the remaining land.
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from these fantastic Brazilian coffee beans from Volcano coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Cafetiere.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Volcano Coffee Roasters now.
FREE Brew Guide Cheat Sheet
20•04•22
The Origin
The Kadamai from Volcano originates from the Jimma region of Ethiopia.
This unique flavour of this washed Ethiopian is achieved by the dominant farming practices.
45-55% of Coffee is grown under shade canopy, the shade tree leaves fall on the ground creating better condition for nutrients to cycle into the soil through process of decomposition giving an ideal growing medium.
Due to the high altitude range observed here, physiological maturation of the tree as well as the red cherry takes longer as opposed to other areas within Katamudaga the slow maturation is believed to have a positive impact on quality green bean.
Some of the best coffee’s in the world have been grown in this country, the various heirloom varieties that are only found in Ethiopia make each coffee even more special and unique.
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from this bright washed Ethiopian coffee from Volcano coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Aeropress.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Volcano Coffee Roasters now.
Download Our Free Brew Guide PDF
07•09•21
The Origin
The Sul de Minas from Volcano Originates from Brazil.
José Filho’s father bought the Fazenda Genoveva farm over 30 years ago, located in Brazil's prominent coffee growing region Mantiqueira De Minas.
Together with his younger brother Marco, José cultivates high scoring coffee on the farm while reserving some 30% of their land for environmental conservation.
Brazils largest coffee-growing state is the Minas Gerais. This region alone accounts for 50% of the overall coffee production of Brazil which is the largest coffee growing country in the world.
As well as quantity, some of the best quality specialty coffee is found in this area.
Sul de Minas, also known as South of Minas has a pretty high altitude for Brazilian coffee at 950m alongside a mild temperature which creates perfect coffee growing variables.
Sul de Minas actually accounts for approximately 30% of the countries overall production which is grown mainly on small hold farms ranging from 10 to 100 hectares. (1)
What to Expect
Here’s an idea of what to expect from these delicious natural Brazilian coffee beans from Volcano coffee roasters.
Team Batch brew method of choice - Espresso.
If you loved this coffee and want it to have it in your life again order directly from Volcano Coffee Roasters now.
References
(1) - Perfect Daily Grind
