Fresh Cup

FEB 2013

Fresh Cup Magazine, providing specialty coffee and tea professionals with unique insight into the trends, ideas, products and people that shape their world.

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COURTESY OF GOOD LAND ORGANICS BORN IN THE USA continued from page 37 heavy cherry notes and a flavor-forward profile are the hallmarks. Willem Boot, owner of California-based Boot Coffee Consulting and a Licensed Q Grader, scored the coffee in the mid- to high-80s in October, proclaiming the Caturra (83.5) to have "a nutty sweet lingering aftertaste with red fruit" and the Gesha (87) to possess "sweet cherry floral that sweetens up while it cools." Miguel Meza, owner of Isla Coffee in Hawaii, cupped Good Land Organics coffees alongside Hawaiian-grown coffees of varying elevations. "It cupped most similarly to the highest-grown coffee," he says. "Cup quality is comparable to what I have seen from the highest-elevation farms here (2,500 to 3,000 feet) and highgrown Central American coffees (5,000 to 6,000 feet)." He gave the Caturra a score of 88.25 and the Gesha an 86.75. POSITIONING A SPECIALTY ITEM In December Ruskey rolled out an e-commerce arm on his Web site (goodlandorganics.com) so that his beans could more easily reach folks outside of California. He is offering coffee from two of his plant varieties, Caturra Gesha and Santa Barbara Gesha (others have yet to produce a harvest). Ruskey charged $27 for a five-ounce bag of roasted beans—a high price, but one that is in 38 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com line with top coffees from other parts of the world—and he plans to adjust the price this year. But lowering the price dramatically might not be necessary. As the American coffee market evolves, those consumers most concerned with taste have been demonstrating a greater willingness to pay significant sums for unique, high-quality product. Roasters will routinely sell Cup of Excellence and other auction coffees for more than $30 a pound, and even Starbucks has got in the game: In November the chain unleashed its most expensive coffee yet, Starbucks Reserve Costa Rica Tarrazu Geisha, which it offered for $40 for eight ounces of whole beans or $7 per cup in its stores. "Starbucks is positioning themselves to be specialty coffee and tap into that crowd," says Ruskey. "They're highlighting that the specialty-coffee industry is running parallel to the wine industry." And that wine industry comparison is especially dear to Ruskey given Good Lands' location in the shadows of world-class wineries. Those facilities are accustomed to hosting visitors: The 2004 film "Sideways" shined a spotlight on the region as its characters visited Santa Barbara County wineries' tasting rooms. Inspired by what he saw, Ruskey launched educational tours of his coffee farm in 2012. A three-hour tour of his plantation includes a 1.5-hour moderate hike, tastings of the California-grown coffees (along with juice

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