Blog — Colombia

Nothing like the thrill of a new beginning. And when it involves one of our very favorite growing regions in Colombia? Color us excited.We here at Olympia Coffee are pleased to begin a new partnership in the Colombian department of Nariño, an area known for producing coffees with outstanding flavor and competitive quality. And, with the help of our friends at Caravela Coffee, we're now able to bring you the best of the best of what Nariño has to offer. Say hello to our newest sourcing partnership: the Taita Project, based in the community of Consaca, Colombia. At Olympia Coffee,...

Last week, our CEO and head of green coffee sourcing traveled to Colombia to connect with our producers at origin. Colombia is the world's third-largest producer of coffee, and each year we procure more coffee from Colombia than from any other country. Driving home the importance of maintaining healthy relationships with our producers—some of whom have become dear friends over many years of close partnership. Read the trip report from Oliver Stormshak, and look forward to another year of incredible coffees from Colombia! Embarking on a trip to the heartland of coffee production is an incredible opportunity for any coffee...

What is it that makes specialty coffee so, well, magical? For us at Olympia Coffee, it’s the people. The farmers and importers, roasters and production experts, baristas and cafe regulars — and so many others that support and shape us. It’s because of these people, living in diverse, vibrant communities across the globe, that we’ve grown our company around a core mission to work toward a coffee industry that’s equitable, ethical, and sustainable from seed to cup. So that everyone whose hands and hearts go into making this delicious, carefully crafted coffee can enjoy a better quality of life. That’s...

Recently, three of our team had the immense honor of representing Olympia Coffee Roasting and the Pacific Northwest overall at the United States Coffee Championships in Long Beach, California. Co-owner Sam Schroeder, Retail Trainer Brady MacDonald, and Downtown Coffee Bar Manager Alex Choppin qualified for this prestigious event by competing at the regional level in October. There, Alex placed Second in Brewer's Cup, Brady placed Second in Barista Championship, and Sam was crowned Northwest Barista Champion. At the U.S. Coffee Championships Sam, Brady, and Alex all had strong showings in the semi-finals round of each competition. Brady's routine focused on ingredients from the Puget...

  Before January 1st, back in November of 2012 it was announced that we were Roast Magazine’s 2013 Micro Roaster of the Year. Naturally, we celebrated by throwing a huge party at our roastery on the November 15th our 7 anniversary of being in business. Our party was covered by the Weekly Volcano, and featured excellent coffee, organic beer, tamales and live music by Lazer Zeppelin and The Maxines. Capitol Boulevard build out By the time the first of the year rolled around we had just signed a lease on what was to become our Capitol Boulevard Coffee Bar. This...