The Vournas Coffee Blog

15 years ago there were almost no small, family-run importers focused on real, high-grade quality, estates or organics. Nor was there any overarching effort to provide small farmers with fair prices and to bring their coffees in on a consistent basis. Back then Vournas Coffee wasn’t the most trendy or…

We don’t like to play favorites when it comes to coffee, but many of you know that ever since our friend and long-time Papua New Guinea consultant, Steve Teisl first established trade with Papua New Guinea nearly 17 years ago we have enjoyed a strong rapport with this island province…

We’ve been working overtime in our cupping room in order to bring you this year’s marquis coffee lineup of VCT exclusives. We have received advance samples from the farms for every single one of our marquis coffees, and over the past several weeks set ourselves to the task of religiously…

When we launched Vournas Coffee Trading in 2002 part of our goal was to identify gaps in the grower/roaster supply chain, build bridges between them and in the process become a sort of farm to cup extension cord, not merely just another green importer. We have never been satisfied to…

Now that the new year is nearly upon us, we’ve already begun looking towards a new coffee season in 2017. We here at Vournas Coffee are once again surveying the C-Market landscape to share with you our perspective on where we are, and what the coffee market trends will be…

Well readers, it’s that time of year again. No, it’s not holiday shopping and excessive eating that I speak of. I mean that OTHER time of year, when the C Market begins to rise, and everywhere roasters collectively cringe, day traders jump in the mix, the Cubs win the Series,…

Last week, Coffee Fest Anaheim featured over 200 vendors, and was well attended by scores of passionate coffee lovers, industry professionals, and small and medium size roasters from Southern California, the Central Valley and beyond. The Vournas Coffee Trading Team was there in force, braving the congested freeways for the…

In a salute to our oldest customer, roaster and friend, we would like to take a moment to put the spotlight on W.C. Clarke’s Coffee, State College PA’s original coffee roastery, founded in 1977. A Coffee Roasting Maverick Bill Clarke first started in the coffee biz way back in 1976.…

If you grow it, they will come … Over the past few years Uganda’s coffee producers have been establishing themselves as a leaders in African specialty coffee. It would seem producers have taken cues from the film Field of Dreams as coffee now leads the nation in exports, accounting for…

Last week I was at a booster meeting for Westlake High School Football. The team is scheduled to travel to Aledo, Texas for their first game of the season on September 3nd. I am including a fantastic video about the people behind Westlake High School Football, produced by good friend…