SAMORO
Altitude: 1500-1600maslLead Farmer: Orlando Soares
Google Earth Co-ordinates: 8°50’22″S 125°27’10″E
| Working together | Since 2022 | Process | Fully-washed |
| Harvest Period | July – August | Packaging | 30kg (Ecotact & Jute) |
| No. of farmers | 11 | Screen Size | 17, 16, 15 |
| Varietal | Typica, Timor Hybrid | What we taste | Cherry, Jasmin Florals, Caramel |
The 2024 harvest was the third consecutive year that we have worked directly with Orlando Soares (lead farmer) and his family from the small community of Samoro. This group now has 11 members having added 2 new farmers since 2023 and we are delighted that as our positive reputation grows in Letefoho, so do requests from coffee farmers wanting to work with us and process speciality coffee within their own household.
Stepping out of the shadows of Luis Santos de Jesus (Cristo Liurai lead farmer), Orlando now oversees this group independently and has grown in confidence as a leader within his community. In addition to harvesting and processing his own high-quality parchment Orlando also regularly visits all members and offers his support and encouragement with processing to ensure that consistency and continuity is met from all members.
Whilst the main differences between our coffees are quite nuanced, Samoro’s geographical location means it is more exposed to direct sunlight than our other groups in Letefoho. The resulting increase in ambient temperature means that fermentation water is also slightly warmer and more viscous, and this results in a coffee which is slightly bolder in the cup.
After three years of working together with the Samoro group, we are now confident that we have unlocked the potential of a truly special fully-washed coffee. Whilst we were able to provide 200 coffee tree seedlings to members last year (reinvestment which was a direct result of green bean sales to partner roasters in the UK), more encouragement needs to be given in the community on coffee tree rehabilitation so as to increase yield and ultimately individual household income. This then will be our focus for 2025 so coffee farmers of Samoro, get your pruning shears ready!
