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Hello from Sumatra -
2/10/2011
Posted By:
Steve Hawthorne
Greetings from Medan!
As I type, many of you back in the states are just getting home from work and getting ready to enjoy dinner. I’m just waking up in Indonesia and enjoying a nice cup of hot tea.
This past Tuesday morning, I set off on a 38 hour journey that carried me across the globe:
Taxi from my house on the south side to the Milwaukee airport
Bus ride from Milwaukee to Chicago
Flight from Chicago to Houston
Flight from Houston to Moscow
Flight from Moscow to Singapore
Flight from Singapore to Medan
Short drive from the Medan airport to my hotel
Finally, a much needed good night's sleep!
I’m here in Indonesia to visit the island of Sumatra. Ever since I started working at Stone Creek, we have had a Sumatran coffee in our offering. It has always been among my favorites and I’m excited to finally see it firsthand.
This trip is quite timely as it has recently become difficult to find a constant supply of this coffee. Unseasonable weather conditions and crop shortages have impacted our ability to find high quality supply in the US. I’ll spend the next week learning about the coffee industry here in Sumatra and meet several producers. I’ll be sampling some coffees and working to build relationships that will help to secure a supply of coffee now and in the future. It should be a very exciting week!
Over the past couple of years, I have spent a significant amount of time visiting coffee farms throughout Central and South America. I’m told that the production process here in Sumatra is quite different which contributes to uniqueness of these coffees. I look forward to sharing my findings. Stay tuned!
Sip slowly,
Steve
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