Hummingbird coffee is a specialty coffee company known for its single-origin coffees sourced from farms around the world. The company was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1998 by husband and wife duo, Paul and Mary Thompson. Since then, Hummingbird has grown into one of the most well-respected small batch coffee roasters in the Pacific Northwest and has cafes located in Portland, Seattle, and Bend. But where exactly does Hummingbird source its beans from? Let’s take a look at the origins of some of Hummingbird’s flagship coffee offerings to find out.
Hummingbird’s Coffee Origins
Hummingbird prides itself on establishing direct relationships with coffee farmers to ensure quality and transparency. They purchase beans through direct trade and focus on single farm lots or micro-lots. This allows them to showcase the unique qualities and terroir of each coffee. Here are the stories behind some of Hummingbird’s core coffee offerings:
Guatemala Acatenango Valley
The beans for Hummingbird’s Guatemala come from a cooperative of small farms located around the base of the Acatenango volcano in southwest Guatemala. This region has excellent volcanic soil and enjoys both Pacific and Caribbean weather influences, creating ideal coffee growing conditions. The farmers grow a mix of heirloom Bourbon and Caturra coffee varietals that produce a medium-bodied coffee with notes of brown sugar, apricot, and milk chocolate.
Ethiopia Sidamo
Hummingbird’s Ethiopia Sidamo is sourced from family-owned gardens in the Sidamo region of southern Ethiopia, which is considered the birthplace of coffee. The Arabica beans here grow slowly due to the high elevation, allowing more time for complex flavors to develop. The Sidamo bean is valued for its complex floral and citrus notes with a bright, clean acidity.
Sumatra Lintong
The beans for the Sumatra Lintong come from a small cooperative in the Lintong Nihuta area of northern Sumatra. The farmers grow heirloom Typica and Ateng varietals well-suited to Sumatra’s volcanic soil and hot, humid climate. The coffee has a rich, earthy body with herbaceous, spice notes.
Costa Rica Tarrazu
Hummingbird’s Tarrazu comes from the famed Tarrazu coffee growing region of Costa Rica, known for producing some of the best Costa Rican coffee. The family-owned Hacienda Miramonte farm is located at 4,500 ft elevation in the fertile, volcanic soil of the region which creates excellent drainage and mineral content. The coffee bushes are old heirloom Bourbon varietals that yield a medium-bodied coffee with notes of honey, caramel apple, and citrus.
Coffee Regions Overview
Hummingbird sources their coffees from major specialty coffee growing regions around the world known for producing high quality Arabica coffee beans. Here is an overview of some of the primary coffee origin regions:
| Region | Countries | Flavor Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Latin America | Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil | Medium body, sweet, fruity, nutty |
| Africa | Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania | Bright, floral, complex |
| Indonesia | Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi | Full body, earthy, herbal |
As you can see, Hummingbird sources from some of the most prized coffee growing regions in Central and South America, East Africa, and Indonesia. The unique terroir and processing methods of each region produces distinctive coffee profiles that the roasters at Hummingbird are able to showcase.
How Hummingbird Works with Farmers
In order to bring these exceptional coffees to market, Hummingbird has cultivated direct relationships with coffee farmers and cooperatives around the world. Here is an overview of their sourcing practices:
- Direct Trade – Hummingbird buys coffee directly from farmers, bypassing intermediaries to ensure higher quality beans and better prices for farmers.
- Long-Term Partnerships – They work with producers year after year to promote sustainability and prosperity.
- Flat Rate Pricing – Hummingbird pays a flat per-pound price rather than the fluctuating C Market price to help farmers earn stable income.
- Crop Pre-Financing – They provideadvance funding for farm improvement projects and harvesting costs.
- Farmer Training – Hummingbird agronomists provide training to farmers on best practices in coffee cultivation and processing.
- Traceable Coffee – Each lot is traceable back to individual farms and cooperatives.
This ethical approach ensures that farmers earn a good living while also growing the highest quality coffee. The close relationships allow for experimentation and feedback to produce exceptional coffees.
Roasting and Brewing for Flavor
Once green coffee beans arrive at their headquarters in Portland, Hummingbird’s skilled roasters get to work crafting the complex flavors through careful roasting profiles. Their small-batch process carefully roasts each coffee based on its unique attributes to showcase taste subtleties. In general, they roast coffees on the lighter side to allow the intrinsic flavors to shine.
The skilled roasting combined with brewing techniques tailored to each coffee creates a cup that reveals layered, nuanced flavors. Hummingbird provides specific brewing guidance with each coffee, like using the pour over method for a light-roasted Ethiopian to accentuate its floral nature. They also provide immersive coffee education for customers to learn how to make the most of each coffee’s character.
Hummingbird’s Community Impact
In addition to producing amazing coffee and supporting farmers, Hummingbird also enriches communities at home in the Pacific Northwest through their Hummingbird Community Fund. Proceeds from coffee sales go towards funding impactful regional nonprofits focused on:
- Environmental sustainability
- Social and economic justice
- Access to education and health resources
Some local organizations that have benefitted from Hummingbird’s community fund include Mercy Corps Northwest, Verde, and the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization. Hummingbird also partners with local schools to provide job training programs for underserved youth and young adults.
So every time you brew up a cup of Hummingbird Coffee, you are participating in an ethical supply chain that has positive impacts all the way from crop to cup.
Conclusion
Hummingbird Coffee offers single-origin coffees showcasing the diversity of flavors from around the globe. By cultivating direct trade relationships with coffee farmers and cooperatives, they are able to access the highest quality coffee beans. Their skilled roasting and brewing expertise allows them to create coffee experiences that reveal the nuances of each origin. So a cup of Hummingbird Coffee encapsulates a commitment to sustainability, transparency, and community impact from start to finish.
