Nurturing Links from Origin to the Fast-Growing Urban Coffee Culture phenomenon
Findlater & Co’s long-standing reputation is built on its ability to consistently deliver premium coffee, wine, ambient food products and services to businesses across Ireland. As we say – Never settle for ordinary.
Based at our local Broomhill roastery a testament to Findlater & Co’s, commitment to quality and innovation you will find Garath Scully, our coffee Category Development Manager. As Garath (also a master roaster), shares his coffee journey and insights discover more about the growth and evolution of coffee within the Irish market.
Dubliner Garath Scully’s career path is an interesting one, his journey into the world of coffee began in 2001 with a role at Robert Robert’s, now known as a significant moment, when he transitioned from a novice in coffee to a specialist. His initial training included a rigorous three-month stint in the UK, working across various coffee companies to grasp the full spectrum of the coffee trade—from sourcing and trading to understanding the nuances of roasting and the critical timing of harvests.
Traded like gold or oil, Coffee is a commodity I learned about all the variables that can have a direct effect on its price.
Brazil is still the biggest coffee producer by far, followed by Vietnam and then Colombia. As a crop, coffee is grown within the tropics. Moreover, it needs high altitude (over 800 metres), and lots of sunshine. Harvesting coffee is a labour-intensive process and all these restrictions on where and when it can be harvested assure its place as the second most traded commodity in the world.
Sustainability Process
While climate change is not likely to have enough impact to change the geographical locations where coffee is grown any time soon, the sustainability of the processes involved in getting coffee from Origin to the cup is a critical issue.
Garath points out the profound impact of climate change on agriculture but reassures that the sustainability measures in place are robust. A recent initiative that stood out during his origin visit to Brazil was the ‘Neighbours and Friends’ program, which fosters collaboration between large and small coffee producers. “It’s about pooling resources, sharing technology, and elevating the quality of the coffee produced,” he remarks. This initiative is part of a broader commitment to sustainability, which is rapidly becoming a cornerstone of modern coffee production.
There are also moves towards more sustainability in the detail of how companies do business – such as using paper sacks instead of the traditional hessian ones or consolidating shipments of orders to cut down on fuel consumption.
The most significant development in this area is Findlater’s push to deal directly with the coffee farmer.
