Celebrating our suppliers: Hasbean
We choose all our suppliers very carefully, opting to work with companies that share the same ethos that we do. When it comes to coffee, we work with Hasbean, a sustainable coffee roaster and supplier based in Stafford, in England’s north.
Stephen Leighton established Hasbean in 1999 and chooses to work directly with over 30 coffee producers around the world, in places such as Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Bolivia and Tanzania. He visits each farmer to develop long-term partnerships that result in a fair price for the farmers and delicious coffee for Hasbean customers. Through these partnerships, he is also able to invest in experimentation with these farmers, improving processes, agronomy and support.
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The Hasbean promise
The following ethos, designed by Steve, informs all of Hasbean’s operations:
- 1. I promise to pay a good price for the coffee I buy.
- 2. The price we pay will always be above the market price and any Fairtrade floor prices;
- 3. I promise to visit the producers we buy from as often as I am able to, and ask them face to face if they are happy that they sell to us. We will also make sure they are happy with how we roast their coffee and promote their farm name;
- 4. I will work with our partner producers, feeding back things I learn about the coffee market and what I think the market needs. Collaboration is important;
- 5. If we use middlemen (exporters/importers/ brokers) we will make sure they are good people and that the producing end are still rewarded for their work. These people will become facilitators, not leaks where money doesn’t make it back to the ground floor. If we cannot be assured/shown this, we will not work with them;
- 6. I will promise to work with good people, in general, good people produce good coffee;
All of Hasbean’s products are now organic certified as well, improving their sustainability credentials even further!
Cookery School and Hasbean
We have been working with Steve and his team since 2010 and have enjoyed their delicious coffee ever since! We use Blake, which lends to a syrupy, natural process-led espresso. The make-up of the blend changes dependent on what’s available, a reflection of Steve’s focus on seasonality. For example, the current blend features 50% Ethiopia Ana Sora Natural, 30% Kenya Othaya Chinga Natural and 20% Tanzania Burka/Selian Estate Natural. The result is a coffee with tasting notes of blueberry, red liquorice and jelly babies.
We also use their decaffeinated coffee, sourced from Finca La Chorrera, in Colombia. It is decaffeinated via the sugarcane method, which is local to the area. This means the entire process is kept in the country, instead of bouncing the beans around the world before arriving at Hasbean headquarters. The taste profile of our decaf coffee is red cherry and a sprinkle of golden sugar.
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You can find out more about Hasbean here, or simply book into one of our classes to enjoy their efforts – we offer tea and coffee at the beginning and end of every class!
Category
Supplier Spotlight Sustainability
