Why Award-Winning Farmer Enrique Navarro Harvests Coffee at Night

Why Award-Winning Farmer Enrique Navarro Harvests Coffee at Night

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli is joined by fourth-generation Costa Rican coffee producer Enrique Navarro of Monte Copey. They were pioneers in Costa Rica’s micro-mill revolution, and now Enrique is leading the charge into the next era of coffee: the Ultra-Specialty Nanolot Revolution. He pulls back the curtain on his highly anticipated Aurum Series Private Auction (happening August 24–26, 2026), revealing the radical, scientific processing methods he uses to make Monte Copey coffees taste unlike anything else on earth. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: - The "Nocturne" Night Harvest: Why Enrique harvests Geisha cherries in the cold of night (below 15°C) to halt micro-fermentation. - The 60-Day Dark Room: How slow-drying coffee inside a hyper-controlled dark room amplifies sweetness and body to an extraordinary degree. - Transforming Citric to Red Fruit: How resting freshly picked cherries in plastic liners for 24 to 48 hours naturally shifts sharp citric acidity into rich notes of strawberry and red apple. - Microlot vs. Nanolot: Enrique’s definitive rule for what makes a true nanolot and why it should make drinkers ask "Did you add flavoring to this?" - The Aurum Series Collections: A deep dive into the unique concepts behind the Rubicon, Golden Hour, Prototype, and Nocturne auction lots. Whether you are a coffee roaster, producer, or fanatic, this episode is a masterclass in agricultural innovation, branding, and the power of true human connection over simple transactional trade. Register for the Monte Copey Aurum Series Auction (August 24–26, 2026) at www.mcultivo.com

Michael Girma on Building an Ethiopian Coffee Empire with 25,000 Farmers

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli sits down with Michael Girma, CEO of Romina—one of Ethiopia’s highly diversified agribusiness and hospitality brands. Managing a massive supply chain that includes 25,000 smallholder farmers, 20 washing stations, 5 dry mills, and a dedicated export arm, Michael has an extraordinary perspective on what it takes to move coffee from remote Ethiopian hillsides to global markets.Michael pulls back the curtain on his 16-year journey, detailing the extreme realities of coffee logistics, massive financial risks, and why the old centralized exchange systems ultimately crumbled in favor of modern specialty traceability.Key Takeaways From This Episode:Mortgaging Everything for Two Containers: Michael shares the terrifying early days of his business when he had to put his parents' house up as a mortgage to finance his first two containers of coffee—and why he physically chased the trucks down to the processing stations. Why the ECX Failed: A deep dive into the collapse of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) and how its failure to upgrade and address the global market's demand for strict traceability shifted the entire landscape toward vertical integration.Surviving Unpredictable Global Crises:From the Red Sea shipping disruptions to local diesel shortages that left coffee delayed for over 100 days, learn how Romina builds extreme business resilience and manages anxious international buyers.The Future of Commercial Integration:Why the Ethiopian government is actively encouraging exporters to step into the farming side to stabilize yield, improve agricultural practices, and de-risk supply chains.This episode is a masterclass in agricultural entrepreneurship, structural economic shifts, and the sheer grit required to run a world-class coffee export operation. Don’t forget that the Taste of Harvest Ethiopia Auction is coming up from August 25th to August 27th 2026.

Why Sidama is Revolutionizing the Specialty Coffee Industry ft. Endale Asfaw

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli sits down with Endale Asfaw, the founder and managing director of Aroma Coffee Trading and Consultancy Services. With over 30 years of experience across Ethiopia's coffee value chain and a definitive background as a Senior Cupper and Technical Manager at the Coffee and Tea Authority's Coffee Quality & Inspection Center, Endale brings unmatched insight into the past, present, and future of Ethiopian specialty coffee. - The Magic of the Sidama Region: Discover why the Sidama Highlands consistently produce some of the highest-scoring specialty coffees in the world, boasting flavor profiles of jasmine, bergamot, and tropical fruits. - Decoding Ethiopian Variety Codes: Learn the history behind iconic coffee varieties like 74110 and 74112, including how the Jimma Agricultural Research Center selected these rich indigenous populations back in the 1970s. - Next-Level Processing Innovations: Explore how forward-thinking private producers are moving beyond washed and natural processes to embrace anaerobic honey, experimental fermentations, and cold fermentation. - The Evolution of Private Auctions: Understand the shifting dynamics of the industry as flexible, market-driven platforms emerge, highlighted by the upcoming Sidama Crown Coffee Auction taking place August 3 to 5, 2026. Join us for this expert deep dive as we explore how the global coffee conversation has fundamentally shifted from "is this coffee acceptable?" to "what makes this coffee unique?"

Selling a Whole 2000m Coffee Harvest in ONE Auction? | Finca Sophia

Finca Sophia is one of the most high-demand, high-altitude coffee farms on the planet, growing elite Geisha varieties at over 2,000 meters in Nueva Suiza, Chiriqui, Panama. But this year, they are doing something completely unprecedented.In this episode of the Cupping Table Podcast, host David Paparelli sits down with Willem Boot and David Pohl to discuss their monumental decision to skip the legendary Best of Panama competition. Instead, they are putting their ENTIRE year's harvest into a single, high-stakes, first-of-its-kind auction on July 13th, 2026.We unpack the high-altitude climate realities guiding this harvest, how they use controlled "darkrooms" to de-risk flavor profiles, and why their processing methods draw inspiration from master painter Gustav Klimt.If you are a specialty coffee professional, competition brewer, or entrepreneur looking at how elite brands break the rules to innovate, this breakdown is for you.

Kenneth Barigye | Rewriting Uganda’s Coffee Story

There are limits to what is possible in Uganda—until you choose to push past them. In this live episode of The Cupping Table recorded at the London Coffee Festival, host David Paparelli sits down with Kenneth Barigye, the founder and Managing Director of Mountain Harvest. Kenneth shares how his team is challenging old stereotypes, bypassing volatile macro market pricing models, and establishing a new paradigm for Ugandan specialty coffee through localized innovation and a landmark private auction.Whether you are a coffee roaster, an importer, or a specialty coffee enthusiast, Kenneth’s insights into value-chain collaboration, social contracts, and ethical pricing provide a masterclass on reforming global agriculture.