Scroll down to see all episodes of the Foxhole!
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In this episode we talk with Prudencio of Valle Inca association in Cusco, Peru. The widely respected leader of one of our most key relationships in all of Peru, Prudencio (Jose Prudencio Saenz Vargas) is a Calca native who brings former experience as a bank loan officer to his work running Valle Inca—fiscal experience of critical importance to Valle Inca and the surrounding community, most of whom are smallholders averaging just 2-3 hectares each. When he got started he was new to coffee production, but his extreme quality focus has always been key to the group’s success.
He helped Valle Inca producers move from drying coffee on plastic mats to raised beds, worked to improve drying, fermentation, and storage practices, and was the first producing partner of ours to implement GrainPro in storing parchment. He meets farmers where they are in the isolated reaches of Yanatile and Lares and works with them to produce the best coffee they possibly can.
Prefer to listen? Check out the audio here.
In this episode we host a conversation between Veracruz-based producer, wet mill manager and community leader Ernesto Perez and Red Fox Mexico sourcing and sales lead Adam McClellan. After Ernesto takes off, Adam and Aleco give us the rundown on the season thus far. A younger farmer taking over the family farm and mill, he’s working to guide community production into high quality specialty, tweak processing, focus on microlots, and help those around him get the best prices their work. He expanded his own wet mill at Finca Fatima into APG Coffee, a micro wet mill for the community that also offers agronomic consulting for other farmers to help rebuild soils and increase quality.
Prefer to listen? Check out just the audio here.
In this episode we had a conversation with Esperanza Dionisio, leader of the Pangoa cooperative in Peru’s Selva Central and first ever woman cooperative leader in Peru. We discussed Esperanza’s unique position in the Peru coffee world, the singular history of Pangoa, and the impacts of Covid-19 on the most recent harvest and shipping season. Esperanza is an incredible speaker and a powerful voice for gender equity. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In this episode, Aleco had a conversation with Eden Kassahun. Eden is one of Red Fox’s most integral supply chain partners and has been since we opened in the business in 2014. Eden and Aleco’s history together goes back to her days at Technoserve where they first met in 2009. Eden helps us manage our supply partnerships with Kata Muduga, Kerchanshe, and Kedir Jebril. Her role couldn’t be more critical to our success in executing early shipments as she manages much of the detail internally in Ethiopia as it pertains to transportation and logistics. Aleco also gave us the lowdown on how our Ethiopia season is shaking out on the whole. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In this episode Aleco and Julia had a conversation on the recent harvest, history, and future in Rwanda. They talk with Dormans Rwanda Country Manager Jean Bosco Seminega and Dormans Rwanda Operations Manager Longin Muhizi. Aleco has known both Jean Bosco and Longin for over a decade, well before Red Fox was formed and the two of them joined Dormans. Watch this episode to learn more about their histories in Rwanda coffee as well as the intricacies of the 2020 season. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In this episode we have a convo with Tibed Yujra of Putina Punco in Puno, Peru on the current season, current events in Puno and Peru at large, and effects of Covid-19 on this remote producing region. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
This episode features Asnake Nigat of the Kata Muduga Cooperative Union in Agaro, Ethiopia. We talk about Covid-19 and current events in Ethiopia as well as explore Agaro specialty coffee history, in which Asnake has been instrumental. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In this episode we talked with Marilu Lopez Padilla of Northern Peru-based cooperative Coopbam on the state of the harvest, her history producing coffee, the effects of the pandemic, and what women leadership looks like in Coopbam. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In this episode, we hosted a Colombia producers roundtable with some of our longest-standing producing partners in the world: Geovanny Liscano from Asorcafe in Inzá, Colombia, Raquel Lasso of FUDAM in Nariño, Colombia, and Red Fox’s own Fabian Viveros León of Pitalito in Huila, Colombia. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In episode 7 we talk with special guest Menachem Gancz of Quentin Cafe in Mexico City and discussing how the Mexico season went down, what changes COVID-19 brought to this supply chain, lessons we learned, and what we expect the supply to look like over the next few months.
In episode 6 we explore the current and future retail landscape and the challenges it presents, as well as what reopening could look like, with some of the most innovative cafe owners from around the country including Eileen Rinaldi of Ritual Coffee Roasters, Erica Escalante of Café Reina (formerly The Arrow Coffeehouse), Mark Capriotti of ReAnimator Coffee Roasters, and Kyle Glanville of G&B and GGET. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.
In episode 5, we explore the limitations of FOB pricing as a benchmark, discuss how we pay for coffee, and talk through any questions you have around coffee pricing. Prefer to listen, check out just the audio for this episode here.