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Why Origin Travel Matters for Coffee Roasters

Our coffee origin trips are guided tours for coffee buyers—importers and roasters—who want to visit the coffee-producing regions we work in. We travel to origin several times a year and love bringing our customers along for the journey.

Is it really necessary to visit origin?

Yes—if you’re serious about quality, relationships, and long-term sourcing. Spending time at origin helps you make better buying decisions. It gives you context, confidence, and access to coffees you might not otherwise see. Here’s why we think origin travel is worth your time.

You understand coffee better

Tasting is one thing. Seeing the process behind it is another. When you visit producers during harvest season, you get a front-row seat to everything that impacts quality: cherry selection, fermentation, drying, and storage. You also see the logistics, climate challenges, and daily decisions that shape a coffee’s final profile. You leave with a greater understanding of what you’re buying—and how you can plan for it.

You build relationships

Face-to-face time builds trust in a way emails and cupping scores can’t. Sitting down with producers or exporters at origin creates space for open conversation. You can talk through expectations, give feedback, and align on future goals. It’s not just about being polite—it’s about being a better sourcing partner. Strong relationships lead to better collaboration and often a more stable supply.

You get access to more coffees

Being there puts you in a better position to secure the coffees you really want. Visiting origin during harvest means you get to taste fresh lots—often before they’re even offered as samples online. This early access gives you more options and flexibility. You might find something special that doesn’t make it into a public offer list. Or you might cup a lot that’s promising and worth investing in for the long term.

You discover opportunities

Some of the most exciting coffees we’ve sourced started with a casual visit or conversatA spontaneous stop at a small washing station. A test fermentation that a producer wants feedback on. A young farmer experimenting with new practices. These moments aren’t always planned—but they’re often what lead to exclusive lots, long-term projects, or new profiles that stand out.

You tell a better story

Origin content can help you connect your customers to the coffee. But it only works when it’s honest and respectful.

That means asking permission before taking photos. Giving credit to producers. And sharing more than just pretty landscapes or posed portraits. Talk about the process. The challenges. The people. The work behind the cup. That’s what makes the story real—and worth telling.

"Learning about the specifics of production, post-harvest processing, the journey to market, and the politics of each coffee origin country is invaluable. You'll be able to gain a much better understanding of the culture and people, with the added bonus of experiencing amazing food, dancing, and the beauty of the landscape." – Joanne, Head of Procurement

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When Should You Travel?

Ethiopia, to visit the farms, producers, and washing stations in the southern regions during harvest, you should plan for the last week of November until the end of January. If you’d like to visit our office/lab in Addis Ababa to cup coffee samples for purchasing purposes, you should plan to visit January/February for the washed coffees and End of Feb/Mar for the natural coffees.

Kenya timelines are the same as Ethiopia (which is why we recommend combining your trips). Plan on visiting sometime within November to December to travel to farms, meet producers, and visit washing stations. For cupping purposes, you should visit sometime within January to March.

Uganda is best visited during harvest—there’s a lot to learn, especially since production here differs from other origins. The main crop is usually harvested September to November, with cupping from December to January. The fly crop runs May to June, with cupping in July. Timings can vary by altitude—our team can guide you.

Colombia depends on what region you're planning to buy from. If you're looking to buy coffees from the north (Antioquia), plan on being there sometime within October to November for production and around January for cupping. If you're looking to buy coffees from Huila, it somewhat varies (especially within the last couple of years). Production is ongoing, but traditionally coffees are available to cup from April until May.

Peru timelines are also dependent on altitude, with lower-altitude harvests coming before that of higher altitudes. Generally, you can plan a visit sometime from May to July for harvest and production and sometime from August to November for cupping. August is a good month to visit, as you can catch the backend of production while being there for early cupping.

Brazil is huge – Norway is about half the size of just Minas Gerais! This means there is always a lot to see; but we normally plan our visits around June to August, to see some harvest and production. Brazil is a huge opportunity to witness innovation and post-harvest processing technology in action, with extended fermentation naturals and anaerobic fermentation naturals (using prime cherry) normally being processed from late July/August onwards. Cupping trips should be planned from August to October, here there is a lot of coffee available to cup.

Rwanda‍ has one primary crop across the whole country. The best time to visit to see processing and activity at the washing stations is April-May, while cupping of initial samples will start in late June and at the peak of accessibility in July.

Indonesia has harvest times that vary by region, the primary processing period in our focus area of Java runs from April to June, when production is at its peak. To cup these exceptional coffees at their best, the ideal window is late June through July.

Honduras should be visited between January and April. We work in two main regions: Marcala (La Paz) and Masaguara (Intibucá). Marcala coffees are harvested earlier, with processing in Jan–Feb—ideal for seeing post-harvest activity. In Intibucá, harvest runs Feb–March, with samples ready from March. March is great for both regions; late April is best for cupping a wide range of samples.

El Salvador travels can easily be combined with your trip to Honduras. It is about a 5-hour drive from Marcala in Honduras to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. From San Salvador, we would head to the volcanic department of Santa Ana, where the Jasal family's farms and mill are located. Similar to Honduras, the time to visit to capture harvesting and coffee processing would be January-February, while cupping will usually be available from March. Luckily for us, the beautiful volcano lakes and the most delicious pupusas are available all year round!

What to Know Before You Go

Must-Do Logistics

Confirm your flight number, arrival date, and time with the Nordic team.
Share any dietary or health requirements in advance.
Let us know if you’re feeling unwell or need to skip an activity.

On-the-Ground Tips

Take lots of photos and videos—but always ask for consent first. Respect privacy and be transparent about how you’ll use the content.
Be curious: Ask about post-harvest processing, this year’s specific challenges, pricing structures, and how national politics impact coffee trade.
Gather stories and context for marketing—but aim for authenticity, not exploitation.

What Does It Cost?

Each country is a bit different, but here’s a general breakdown of what you’ll cover and what we help with:

Ethiopia:

You: Flights, hotels in Addis and possibly Hawassa/Dilla, meals ($30–50/day)
Us: Local transport, meals while traveling, coordination

Kenya, Uganda, Colombia, Peru, Brazil:

You: Flights, internal flights, accommodation (from our recommended list), meals, transport ($30–80/day depending on country)
Us: Advice, contacts, and local recommendations