More than just a co-operative specialty coffee roaster in Sacramento, CA since 2006.
"At Pachamama, the farmers own the company. This means better coffee for you and a higher quality of life for family farmers around the world. We grow organic Arabica coffee and carefully roast in small batches…Our coffee comes directly from farmers who carefully grow their beans under shade canopy utilizing organic, indigenous farming practices. Pachamama is the only coffee roaster in the U.S 100% owned by farmers… "
—Pachamama website
Pachamama has been part of my daily coffee life since my return to living in Davis. Whilst they roast locally, and have both a cafe in town and a stall at the farmers' market, their heart really is with the farmers whence their coffees are sourced. All the coffee they roast is organic, shade-grown and sourced directly, ensuring that the farmers get a truly fair price.
In Incan mythology Pachamama is the "Earth Mother" embodied by the rugged mountains, misty clouds, and lush greenery. Pachamama presides over and provides abundance to those who live in harmony with the Earth's natural cycles.
As any good roaster should, they go to frequent tasting and buying trips to the areas their coffees are grown (being Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ethiopia); their roasters work hard to get the best out of each coffee, and it shows.
Their part in my coffee journey
Pachamama have had a presence at the Davis Farmers' market for some years, where they both brew and sell their coffees. Of course as I worked quite early hours, getting a cup from them was a necessity every Saturday morning; usually a pourover of whatever their seasonal speciality was. I time, I learned to appreciate the differences, and started getting a bag of beans to drink at home. I time I added their decaf, still my favourite decaf and a solid daily driver. Their Nicaraguan is my current full-strength choice for mornings, their medium-roast Mexican decaf my afternoon preference. The Nicaragua (genuinely tasty and citrusy yet sweet) is currently highlighted as my homenode picture, featuring the Turquoise-browed Motmot bird. I've no idea who designs their labels, but each is truly a work of art.
Talking to anyone is the specialty coffee space is a learning experience, and the cafe staff are keen to share all they know. Through them I've become ore familiar with coffees from around the world, as well as better informed about such things as how processing affects the finished coffee, a delightful learning experience that's led me further into the coffee hobby. Talking to their staff has been a boon to y undertsnading and appreciation of coffee growing and business as well as my drinking choices. Through this process I have grown to love their Yirgacheffe, which, whilst it's not part of y general rotation, certainly gets a look in every few weeks as a special treat. If you want to experience my fave coffees, they'll gladly send you a bag; see their website linked above.
Their dedication has not gone unnoticed: they won the Specialty Coffee Association 2021 Sustainability Award for Business Model.
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