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Posted on July 6 2020
The Coffee Berry Borer or Coffee Borer Beetle (CBB) is an insect found around the world and prevalent in most coffee producing countries. It is among the most harmful pests to commercial coffee plantations and can attack 50-100% of berries on a farm if no control measures are applied. Description The CBB belongs to the
Posted on June 17 2020
June 17 2020
Extraction is one of the most important aspects to creating the perfect cup, but still under research in the world of coffee. Without extraction, we would not have the morning cup of coffee that we all know and love, we would end up with a cup of water, with ground beans floating around it. This
Posted on April 8 2020
April 8 2020
The Outbreak of COVID-19 Over the past few weeks, the Conservative Government has enforced unforeseen measures comparable to those imposed during World War II. Boris in place of Winston, and COVID-19 in place of Fascism. Admirable and amiable leaders in their own special way, both of whom were, and are, faced with diseases that threaten
Posted on March 27 2020
March 27 2020
We’ve all been affected by current global events in some way or another, and we have seen it have an unprecedented affect on our industry as a whole.
Posted on March 23 2020
March 23 2020
In light of the current situation, we would like to share some words of assurance and information as to how COVID-19 will affect our business, and in turn yours.
Posted on March 5 2020
March 5 2020
In general, Origin trips are instigated and organized with the aim of selecting lots from the current harvest. Although this was most certainly on the cards for Mercanta’s tour of Costa Rica, it was prominently an educational experience for both I (being my first Origin trip) and for the team at Cartel Coffee Lab based
Posted on February 17 2020
February 17 2020
We arrived in Kenya like previous years anticipating not only the amazing coffees we would cup, the farmers we would meet some old friends, new ones and of course the animals we would encounter. Exotic beautiful Kenya did not disappoint.
Posted on December 18 2019
December 18 2019
2019 marks Mercanta’s first foray into sourcing coffee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Here we were lucky enough to meet Eba & Wally from Societe Matea! Using coffee production to forge a path for economic success and social stability, Eba & Wally, founders of Société Maitea, hope to make a difference to the local community, as well as to demonstrate the quality of DRC (and in particular Kivu province) coffee, to the outside world.
Posted on December 12 2019
December 12 2019
Stephen Cornford has just returned from his brief but insightful week long trip to East Africa; specifically Tanzania and Uganda, where he visited some of our export partners in the region. Read all about Stephen’s experience here.
Posted on December 2 2019
December 2 2019
I am sitting at Sao Paulo Guarulhos, almost exactly a month since I left the UK on this Brazil Trip. So now is as good a time as any to get this trip report written.
Posted on October 16 2019
October 16 2019
In preparation for his trip to the famous Aquiares Estate in Costa Rica, Ben talks to Diego, the estate’s manager, about the current on-going improvements at the farm.
Posted on August 30 2019
August 30 2019
Last week, coffee roasters from all around the world traveled to Buford, Georgia to meet at Lake Lanier for the 19th Annual Coffee Roasters Guild Retreat. The air was heavy but that didn’t stop us from roasting coffee!
Posted on August 19 2019
August 19 2019
Juan, our Colombia Coffee Hunter, traveled for the first time to Planadas to support in the selection of the lots that entered the auction held during the fair. Follow him as he gets from Medellin, where we have our sourcing office, to the last town in the south of Tolima and read about his vicissitudes getting there and about Planadas and Gaitania troubled past and bright present and future.
Posted on July 11 2019
July 11 2019
by Stephen Hurst The weekend of 6th / 7th July was long forecast to have very low temperatures in some Brazil coffee growing regions. Predicted temperatures were amongst the lowest expected in the country for many years. Why does this matter? Brazil is well-known as the world’s largest producer of coffee beans, by a considerable
Posted on July 5 2019
July 5 2019
Using Comparators when assessing coffee quality is best practice; however, it it also has issues. Stephen Cornford discusses how to improve Quality Control in Specialty coffee.
Posted on June 21 2019
June 21 2019
Mercanta UK’s Joe Fisher weighs in. Alongside providing expert product knowledge, a web of strong contacts at origin, and relief from administrative burden, one of the central roles of the coffee importer is to move the risk of green coffee buying away from roasters and onto their own shoulders. A significant chunk of this risk
Posted on June 14 2019
June 14 2019
This year's World of Coffee show was epic. Great Coffee, Great People, Great Times had by all! What's not to love? Ben Palmer re-caps.
Posted on May 29 2019
May 29 2019
Friday the 17th May marked a new stage in Mercanta’s relationship with the Scottish coffee scene. Joined from London HQ by a few good women and men from the lab – plus the boss for good measure – we set about cupping three tables of coffee and welcomed clients and friends to our brand-new digs.
Posted on May 17 2019
May 17 2019
Adryll, as Customer Account Manager, brings an extensive skill-set to Mercanta’s global team of Coffee Hunters. Starting May 1, Adryll Lin joins Aster Lam in staffing Mercanta’s Singapore office. Adryll brings a wealth of experience from various coffee industry sectors to his new role as Customer Account Manager. He possesses a deep understanding of the
Posted on May 10 2019
May 10 2019
Mercanta has participated in the Cup of Excellence programme from the very beginning, 20 years ago. We ask: is the competition still relevant? Juan Cano reports.
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