This year at MAKER we’ve taken it upon ourselves to dig a little deeper in sourcing coffees that not only exemplify the quality we love to drink every day, but also tell the story of human connection in where it was grown and who is farming the land it was grown on. 

There is something to be said for the magic in truly exceptional coffee arriving to our shores here in Australia. It starts in the hands of the grower then passes through multitudes of quality check points before moving into the logistics phase which is where a high portion of the risk is posed from a wide range of factors that can affect quality. Sometimes it can be extreme fluctuating temperatures during shipping and often it can be lengthy customs or port delays interrupting a smooth transit time. It is almost as if the stars need to align at every stage of a coffees journey so that we can experience this beautiful agricultural product at its peak performance. 

Ruminating on this, we’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank Aida, Ariel, Carmen, Claudia, Flavio, Leonel, Luis, Maruja, Omar, Sandra, Segundo, Wilmar, Wilson, Yasmin, Yilmar for coming together and creating this beautiful expression of Caturra and Colombia varieties, from the town of Aponte, and Melbourne Coffee Merchants for finding and delivering this absolute gem from the Nariño region to us here at Maker. 

Contributing coffee producer Ariel Ordoñez from Aponte.

Contributing coffee producer Aida Chasoy from Aponte.

Contributing coffee producer Omar Sampayo from Aponte.

This is a coffee steeped in history and grounded in incredible quality at every stage of its journey. This small group of 15 producers are known best as the regional experts in the ‘honey’ processing method, as well as being the cultural descendants of the original Inca indigenous people from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The town of Aponte’s unique micro-climate of warm winds and year-round cool temperatures have benefited this producer group for many years in reaching ultra high quality coffee production. Located at upwards of 2100 meters above sea level, this is some of the highest altitude cultivated land in all of Colombia, if not the world over. 

Bringing together these unique geographical and production elements has created a beautifully expressive cup profile from this group of Aponte producers. The lush aromatics, plentiful tropical notes, and refined sugary sweetness are all underpinned by the wonderful sense of place present in the brewed coffee. This is old world heritage and new world coffee production combined with a little splash of magic to be found in every cup. 

Available now at all Maker locations and online.