The Optimist Blend is designed to showcase coffees from producers who are as devoted to sustainable farming as they are to producing quality. By now we should all know that we can’t continue to have one without the other. Most quality coffee is grown in beautiful and unique agroecosystems: high altitude cloud forests, volcanic soils, forest canopy shade and reliable rainfall all contribute to the production of quality coffee. These factors are also part of larger diverse ecosystems that are quite fragile and require extreme care and attention if we want to keep them healthy and vibrant. While all the farms FGC works with meet our high standards for sustainable farming, the coffees in the Optimist Blend are from producers who have gone above and beyond the established protocols and have pushed the envelope of sustainable coffee production. Ricardo Perez in Costa Rica, The Keller Family in Guatemala, Haile Gebre in Ethiopia are just a few of the names you’ll see here. The blend is seasonal — meaning we will work coffees that are available and freshly arrived. The coffees we use, therefore, will change quite often. Green buyer Phil Anacker and roastmaster Arturo Carino work closely, however, to keep the blend profile consistent and tasty!