Coffee Origins
Explore the coffee belt and shop the countries on our shelf right now.
Sud Est, Centre and Nord · 800 to 1,500 masl
Smallholder coffee farms grow beneath mixed tree canopies across the mountains of Haiti.
Thiotte: Southeastern mountain coffee cooperatives
Belle Anse: Coffee farms in Sud Est
Baptiste: Central highland growing area
Savanette: Smallholder cooperatives in Centre
Dondon: Northern mountain coffee tradition
Coffee is often part of Creole gardens that combine fruit, food crops and shade trees.
Traditional Typica trees and mixed varieties coexist in Haitian coffee agroforests.
Barahona, Cibao and Valdesia · 600 to 1,500 masl
Mountain coffee farms across Hispaniola produce balanced cups with chocolate sweetness and gentle citrus.
Barahona: Southern mountain coffee, chocolate and hazelnut
Cibao: Northern coffee growing region
Valdesia: Established southern mountain origin
Jarabacoa: Cordillera Central highland farms
Many smallholder farms grow coffee beneath canopy trees alongside fruit and other crops.
Repeated flowering in Barahona can require five or six picking passes over the same trees.
Cordillera Central · 600 to 1,000 masl
Coffee farms thrive in the cool central mountains, where steep slopes and shade trees shape the island coffee tradition.
Adjuntas: Mountain farms and shade grown coffee
Jayuya: Highland farms in the central mountains
Utuado: Coffee valleys in the Cordillera Central
Lares: Historic western coffee growing area
Yauco: Long established coffee tradition
Maricao: Cool mountain slopes
The Cordillera Central is the heart of Puerto Rican coffee growing.
Hacienda Buena Vista in Ponce preserves a historic coffee estate as a museum.
Harvest timing varies widely between lower slopes and cooler highland farms.
Kona, Hawaiʻi Island · 200–900 masl
Kona coffee grows on the volcanic slopes of Hualālai and Mauna Loa, where sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons support coffee cultivation.
Kona: Volcanic slopes, smooth and nutty
Kau: Sweet, fruity, rising star
Maui: Bright and floral
Kauai: Mild and easy drinking
Kona is one of the only places in the US where coffee is grown commercially at scale.
A blend needs only 10 percent Kona beans to use the Kona name, so look for 100 percent Kona.
Cajamarca, Cusco & Amazonas · 1,200–2,100 masl
Smallholder farms cultivate coffee beneath shade across steep Andean valleys with diverse microclimates.
Cajamarca: Sweet, balanced, caramel
Cusco: Floral and bright
Amazonas: Fruity, cocoa
Puno: Rare, high grown, complex
Peru is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffee in the world.
Most farms are small family plots of a few hectares.
Boquete & Volcan · 1,300–2,000 masl
Volcanic soils and cool cloud forests make western Panama famous for intensely aromatic Gesha coffees.
Boquete: Gesha country, jasmine and bergamot
Volcan: Bright, juicy
Renacimiento: Remote, high grown
Panama Gesha made headlines in 2004 at the Best of Panama competition and changed specialty coffee.
Top Gesha lots sell at auction for over one thousand dollars per pound.
Apaneca-Ilamatepec · 1,200–1,900 masl
Coffee grows along a volcanic mountain chain where shade canopies support slow, even cherry maturation.
Apaneca Ilamatepec: Volcanic, sweet and round
Santa Ana: Chocolate and caramel
Chalatenango: High grown, bright
The Pacas and Pacamara varieties were both developed in El Salvador.
Much of the country still grows old Bourbon trees shaded by native forest.
Jinotega & Matagalpa · 1,100–1,700 masl
Northern mountain farms produce balanced coffees with round sweetness and a classic chocolate profile.
Jinotega: Chocolate, balanced
Matagalpa: Nutty, mild
Nueva Segovia: Bright, fruity, award winning
Nueva Segovia lots often top the Cup of Excellence rankings.
Nicaragua grows Maragogype, known for its giant beans.
West Valley & Tarrazu · 1,200–1,900 masl
Volcanic soils, cool mountain nights, and meticulous honey processing create bright, sweet cups.
Tarrazu: Bright, clean, chocolate
West Valley: Juicy, fruity
Tres Rios: Elegant, balanced
Central Valley: Sweet, honey
Costa Rica made honey processing famous through its micro mill revolution.
By law the country grows only arabica coffee.
Santa Barbara & Copan · 1,300–1,850 masl
High mountain farms produce expressive coffees with ripe fruit sweetness and cocoa depth.
Santa Barbara: Fruity, juicy, complex
Copan: Chocolate and caramel
Marcala: Sweet, first protected origin
Ocotepeque: Bright, citrus
Honduras is the largest coffee producer in Central America.
Marcala was the first coffee in the region to earn a protected origin label.
Oaxaca & Chiapas · 1,100–1,700 masl
Shade-grown coffee thrives beneath forest canopies across the cool mountains of southern Mexico.
Chiapas: Chocolate, nutty
Oaxaca: Light, delicate, spice
Veracruz: Sweet and mellow
Puebla: Bright and balanced
Mexico is a leading source of organic coffee for the US.
Many farms are run by Indigenous cooperatives in Chiapas and Oaxaca.
Yirgacheffe & Guji · 1,750–2,200 masl
The birthplace of arabica, known for heirloom varieties and floral, tea-like cups.
Yirgacheffe: Floral, lemon, tea like
Guji: Peach, berry, sweet
Sidama: Bright, wine like
Harrar: Natural, blueberry, spice
Limu: Balanced, spice, wine
Ethiopia is the birthplace of arabica coffee, with thousands of wild varieties still growing in its forests.
Coffee ceremonies, roasting green beans by hand, are central to daily life.
Most coffee comes from smallholders tending garden plots.
Huila & Nariño · 1,500–2,100 masl
Steep Andean slopes and varied microclimates create bright, balanced coffees year-round.
Huila: Juicy, bright, sweet
Narino: High grown, citrus, floral
Cauca: Balanced, caramel
Tolima: Fruity and lively
Antioquia: Classic, nutty, chocolate
Colombia harvests twice a year, so fresh coffee arrives year round.
Juan Valdez has represented Colombian growers since 1958.
Cerrado Mineiro & Sul de Minas · 900–1,400 masl
Broad plateaus, distinct dry seasons, and highly developed processing produce sweet, consistent coffees.
Cerrado Mineiro: Nutty, chocolate, low acid
Sul de Minas: Sweet, caramel
Mogiana: Rich body, cocoa
Chapada Diamantina: Fruity, complex
Brazil has been the largest coffee producer in the world for over 150 years.
Flat land lets many farms harvest by machine.
Brazilian naturals are the backbone of many espresso blends.
Huehuetenango · 1,500–2,000 masl
Dry mountain winds protect the crop from frost and extend the cherry maturation period.
Huehuetenango: Fruity, bright, high grown
Antigua: Chocolate, spice, volcanic
Atitlan: Citrus, floral
Acatenango: Sweet, smoky volcanic soil
Antigua sits between three volcanoes that enrich the soil with ash.
Huehuetenango is among the highest and driest growing areas in Central America.
Mbeya & Kilimanjaro · 1,400–2,000 masl
Coffee grows on volcanic slopes and southern highlands, producing crisp, berry-led cups.
Mbeya: Bright, berry
Kilimanjaro: Classic, wine like
Arusha: Balanced, citrus
Tanzania is famous for peaberry, where a single round bean grows in the cherry.
Coffee grows on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Kayanza & Ngozi · 1,600–2,000 masl
Smallholder farms deliver cherries to washing stations that produce clean, intensely sweet coffees.
Kayanza: Floral, red fruit
Ngozi: Juicy, sweet
Muyinga: Bright and clean
Nearly all Burundi coffee is Red Bourbon.
Smallholders deliver cherries to community washing stations.
Nyamasheke & Lake Kivu · 1,500–2,100 masl
Rwanda’s steep green hills and centralized washing stations produce polished, fruit-forward coffees.
Nyamasheke: Lake Kivu, juicy
Huye: Floral, red fruit
Gakenke: Sweet, citrus
Rutsiro: Bright, complex
Coffee helped rebuild Rwandan farming communities after 1994.
Rwanda hosted the first Cup of Excellence in Africa in 2008.
RwandaFrom $20.00 · In stock Mount Elgon & Rwenzori · 1,300–2,200 masl
Arabica grows on high volcanic slopes, while Uganda’s lower elevations are a historic home of robusta.
Mount Elgon: Bugisu arabica, chocolate
Rwenzori: Mountains of the Moon, fruity
Sipi Falls: Sweet, bright
Uganda is a native home of wild robusta coffee.
Mount Elgon arabica grows on an ancient extinct volcano.
Nyeri & Kirinyaga · 1,600–2,000 masl
Volcanic soil and meticulous washed processing produce intensely vivid, juicy cups.
Nyeri: Blackcurrant, bold acidity
Kirinyaga: Juicy, tropical
Embu: Bright, sweet
Kiambu: Classic, complex
SL28 and SL34 were bred at Scott Laboratories in the 1930s.
Kenya grades beans by size, with AA the largest.
A double fermentation step adds clarity to the cup.
Aceh & North Sumatra · 1,200–1,600 masl
Wet-hulled processing creates the region’s signature earthy depth and dense body.
Gayo: Aceh, earthy and sweet
Lintong: Herbal, spice
Mandheling: Heavy body, cedar
Java: Smooth, nutty
Sulawesi: Toraja, spice
Wet hulling, called giling basah, gives Sumatra its heavy earthy body.
The word Java became slang for coffee itself.
Da Lat & Central Highlands · 1,000–1,600 masl
Vietnam is famed for robusta, while cool highland farms around Da Lat also cultivate fine arabica.
Da Lat: Highland arabica, sweet
Lam Dong: Bright, clean
Buon Ma Thuot: Robusta capital, bold
Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world.
Ca phe sua da, iced coffee with condensed milk, is a national staple.
Haraz & Bani Matar · 1,800–2,400 masl
Ancient coffee varieties grow on dramatic stone terraces and are traditionally dried in the fruit.
Haraz: Wine like, dried fruit
Bani Matar: Spice, chocolate
Haimah: Floral, complex
The port of Mocha gave its name to a coffee style and a drink.
Yemen was the first place coffee was farmed as a crop, over 500 years ago.
Many trees grow on terraces carved into mountains.
Blue Mountains · 900–1,700 masl
Cool mist, steep slopes, and careful processing create exceptionally mild and refined coffees.
Blue Mountain Peak: Mild, clean, sweet
St. Andrew: Smooth, floral
Portland: Balanced, bright
Blue Mountain coffee is traditionally shipped in wooden barrels.
Only coffee from the designated Blue Mountain parishes can carry the name.
