Roast Level from the Roaster
Refers to the roast level in comparison with other coffees from the roaster
Light
Variety
Other
Process
Washed
Elevation
1,690 - 1,790 masl
Region
SNNPR (Southern Nations and Nationalities People's Region)
About Seid Omer of Ethiopia
A few miles south of Yirgacheffe lies the district of Kochere, and while the geography may be similar, it is an entity all its own. Built in 2003, the Qore Biloya washing station has been operating for many years, and in 2018 passed into new ownership. The station employs seasonal workers during coffee harvest to help sort and process the ripe cherries.
The washing station processes both washed and natural coffees, with around 140 raised, mesh-lined drying beds to receive the beans once they’ve been carefully sorted and processed. Qore Biloya station produces both washed coffees and naturals. Natural coffee beans spend an average of 21 days in the intense Ethiopian sun, turned daily by workers to facilitate even drying. Once optimal moisture level is reached and the beans are stabilized, these natural coffees are dry hulled to remove the dried coffee fruit.
At this point, both washed and natural coffees in the parchment stage are bagged and transported to the company’s processing plant in the capital city of Addis Ababa. This huge facility is equipped with modern machines for processing— cleaning, polishing, screening, color sorting and more. Our Catalyst Trade team on the ground in Ethiopia follows the coffee through all its stages, pulling a sample from every single bag as it is filled to verify quality and stability, then overseeing the loading of the container for its journey to the US.
SNNPR (Southern Nations and Nationalities People's Region), Ethiopia
Theory Coffee Roasters
Roasting coffee was originally an escape fantasy/retirement dream for owner Sam LaRobardiere, until roasting equipment and some green coffee basically fell into his lap. Then as a hobby roaster, he began selling at a pop-up for community events and artisan markets, and in 2018 took the leap to open both a roastery and coffee shop.
Over the years, the folks at Theory Coffee Roasters have honed their coffee skills and built strong coffee-sourcing relationships. Along the way, they have had some fun achievements. Theory brought home the gold medal in the highly competitive espresso category at the nation’s largest roasting competition, Golden Bean North America, in 2018. Theory placed top 10 Overall in the Good Food Awards 2019. Shortly after, Theory Competed against 8 other roasters and won the Twitter Headquarter’s Brew-Off competition in 2019 becoming the sole coffee provider for the Twitter HQ in San Francisco. Theory was also included in the Food & Wine Magazine’s 100 Best Coffee Shops in America in 2019. They were also named as one of the top 30 Coffee Roasters in North America in Fresh Cup Magazine. Joel Lohner, roasting and production manager, placed as one of the top 3 in cup tasters at the Coffee Champ competition. Sam LaRobardiere and Joel Lohner both received their Q-Grader license, which is the equivalent to a wine sommelier in the coffee industry.
While Theory is motivated by the great accomplishments of the past, we continue to be even more excited about the future. Our commitment is to continue to bring our beloved customers even more award-winning coffees that are roasted to display the optimal balance of each coffee's best attributes. You can buy with confidence that Theory will deliver the best coffees in the world...right to your doorstep.
