Peter Elmore of Star Bright Farm with Evan
Our Approach
Embracing human connection through memorable coffee and tea experiences.
Every aspect of our work is shaped by a desire to foster greater transparency and connectedness between the communities of people that produce our coffees and teas and the communities of people that consume them.
Coffee cherry selection at Heza washing station
Julie and Carlos Batres of Montecarlos (center) with Evan and Crystal
Long-Term, Farmer-Focused Partnerships
If there is one value that lies at the heart of everything we do at Passenger, it is a particular philosophy of partnership. We are well aware that our business would be nothing without the people who produce the coffees and teas that we buy, and we are committed to the pursuit of long-term, transparent, and mutually beneficial business relationships with these core producers. At an early stage in our evolution as a coffee roasting company Passenger’s green buying team decided to try to add value for our core producer partners by focusing more of our coffee buying budget in less places over time. For the past five years and counting, the vast majority of our annual buying has been focused on seven producers in East Africa, Central America, South America, and South Asia that we refer to collectively as the Foundational Partnerships.
Green Coffee Preservation
When green (unroasted) coffee is frozen, its natural aging process stops, perfectly preserving desirable cup qualities for future enjoyment. Our commitment to placing every pound of green coffee that we buy in frozen storage enables us to support our Foundational partners by purchasing more coffee from each harvest, and allows us to present our selections from their farms at peak freshness, year-round. Every bag of coffee that we ship is just as bright and sweet as if we had roasted it the moment it arrived at our warehouse.
Unparalleled Roast Consistency
Buying the majority of our green coffee from the same farms every year, and preserving each lot that we contract in frozen storage year-round, enables Passenger’s roasting team to maintain a standard of quality consistency that is incredibly rare in the specialty industry. Thanks to partnership and green coffee preservation, we simply do not need to devote valuable time and energy to the continual adjustment of our roast profiles. Each coffee on our menu is roasted to honor the skill and passion of some of the world’s most extraordinary producers. Our protocols have been thoughtfully refined to ensure that our partners' work is shared at peak potential, with each and every roast.
Visiting our partners in Suaza, Colombia
Committed to Transparency
By publishing the prices that we pay for our coffees each year, defining our sourcing practices as clearly as we can, and engaging with industry conversations and initiatives on the subject of price transparency, we at Passenger wish to underline our commitment to the pursuit of a specialty coffee industry that is appealing and economically viable for farmers, not just for roasters and consumers.
