This washed coffee is sourced from Friends of Mothers, a cooperative of 500 women farmers in the Mbale District on the slopes of Mount Elgon in Uganda, at elevations between 1400-2500 meters. Each producer carefully hand-picks ripe cherries, sorts them, and uses their own micro-mill for depulping, fermentation, washing, and drying. The coffee is medium light roasted and presents vibrant tropical fruit characteristics with notes of guava, citra hops, and maple syrup.
Kuma Coffee was founded in 2008 by Mark Barany, who started roasting small batches in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood in late 2007. The company now operates out of a warehouse in Interbay with a four person team, roasting on a Loring Kestrel 35k that cuts gas usage by 75 percent compared to conventional equipment. Kuma was the first Seattle roaster to publish a transparency statement disclosing exact per pound prices paid for every bean in its inventory, a move that set a precedent for openness in the city's specialty coffee scene. About half of the company's coffee is purchased directly from farms at above market prices, and all orders are roasted and shipped within 24 hours.
