Organic Arabica Coffee

organic JOURNEY FROM SEED TO CUP

Organic coffee isn’t something that can be left to chance

Perfect organic coffee pleasure is no accident: it must be deliberately created, consistently and without compromise, cup after cup, by living our principles.

Along the complex path from seed to cup, there are quicker ways of doing things that we do, and there are certainly cheaper ways. But there is no better way. Knowing a single faulty bean can taint a whole batch, we take control of quality down to the very last one – with a deliberate dedication to getting the details right at every step of the way.

We’re often asked why we call
our coffees ORGANI CRU?

As the closest agricultural concept to how we view our coffees, we borrowed from the world of wine. In the wine industry, the term Grand Cru can be given to wines of the highest quality classification.

At FUERTE® our selection begins with the finest organic seed we can find because only the best beginning holds the promise of an incredible cup of coffee.

We start at the origin with fine specialty grade coffees that meet stringent physical criteria and specific taste profiles, necessary to compose our distinctive Organi Cru.

Responsible FARMING Tastes Best

Our approach necessitates another level of selectivity which concerns the sustainability of the coffee tree and coffee world in general.

o address the issue of coffee's future, we created the Fuerte® EcoSynergy Quality Program in 2007. This approach enables FUERTE® to safeguard the future supply of the highest quality coffee, while paying our workforce a higher income and protecting the natural environment. But our commitment goes beyond this;it is about a long-term relationship and continued loyalty to our farmers and their communities in the program.

Jose Pena

Chief Agronomist
Fuerte® cafe

"Our certification system impacts positively
thousands of farmers, families and environment."

FUERTE® is committed to:

Quality

The best quality
of ORGANIC coffee

Sustainability

The natural
environment

Productivity

A long-term
relationship with
our farmers

Harvesting Quality from
the best terras

The fruit of the Coffea Rubiaceae tree, coffee grows between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

As with wine, great coffee draws its characteristics from its terras: the result of harmony between soil, weather conditions, variety, aspect and altitude. We call the tree's fruit a "cherry" for its luscious red colour when ripe and its cherry-like shape. As with any fruit, coffee tastes best when harvested perfectly ripe.

Juan Cruz

Chief Roaster
Fuerte® cafe

" The art of combining know-how and
modern techniques to attain
excellence. "

Coffee is a cherry

Cherries of the same tree will ripen at differing rates and therefore should be picked at different times. In order to pick only correctly ripened fruit, all of our coffees for Fuerte® Organi Cru are harvested by hand. Though costlier in time and money, this guarantees the best quality, since beans that are too green, or overripe, are eliminated.

Like wine grapes

rom the French word "terre" (soil),terras designates a defined region wherein the growing environments are of similar altitude, soil composition and climate (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, humidity etc).

Soil
Altitude
Latitude
Rainfall
Sunshine

A selection of ORGANI CRU

Not all beans are created equal, so we sort every single one of the billions we roast through a series of trays that differentiate first by size, then density.

he final grading step for raw coffee is colour sortation, both by hand and electronics. This is needed because a bean might be the right size and density, but have colours which are indicative of damage or imperfections.

he better the grading, the more consistent the beans...the more even the roast, and ultimately, the more balanced the cup.

Safeguarding quality through all of a coffee journey's stages from farm to cup requires us to carry out repeated and systematic physical and taste checks: prior to bagging coffee at origin, prior to transporting by sea or air, and again, upon arrival in our production facility. Taste (or "cup") testing ensures only the finest, cleanest coffee is selected.

Romero vitali

Fuerte® Quality Specialist,
Green Coffe

For each of our Organi Cru, we select
only the best organic Arabica
beans in the world.

Our Organi Cru is crafted , not produced, blended with care to get the aromas that stays with you. At fuerte® every detail matters, because your enjoyment matters!

We develop our Organi Crus in a blend composition much like a form of magical alchemy. Fuerte® panel cuppers are intensively trained, tested, certified and re-certified every 3 months for their ability to identify quality. Sensory evaluation looks beyond physical attributes, linking taste to variety, terras and care in cultivation.

Back in South America, we develop our Organi Cru in a blend composition much like a form of magical alchemy. We select specific coffee origins for their unique characteristics, (aroma, flavour, body etc), combining components in proportions designed to enhance their individual brilliance. As a perfumer knows the harmonics of his ingredients, so our master blenders understand the transformation of fragrance and flavours. Having practiced these skills for over 25 years, fuerte® quality creation is masterful, not coincidental.

The subtle blending of varieties reveals a wealth of flavours, each contributing remarkable characteristics. Our coffee species grown, Arabica, which bring distinct characteristics to a blend. Coffees of both types must pass physical, sensorial and sustainable standards tests of the highest order. Where Arabica brings finesse, acidity, clarity and elegance to the cup, coffee aromatics. FUERTE® uses 100% Arabicas to create unique personalities in coffees.

Terras-specific roasting for terras-specific aromas

Roasting and grinding are vital stages towards creating an Organi Crux as here we reveal the full flavor and aromatic potential of green coffee beans.

Correct roasting depends on finding the time, temperature and other parameters best suited to a blend, thereby allowing origin characteristics to be fully expressed. Whilst poor roasting can ruin the finest coffee, an expert technique elicits the best of every ingredient, balancing origin-specific characteristics and allowing each coffee to show its unique personality. For this reason, Fuerte® develops a specific roast profile for each blend.

epending on the roast technique used, the same coffee can acquire vastly different cup results. By knowing the character of our beans, we roast each with the goal of optimising and maximizing its flavour. Origin, type, shipment, batch…all these variables impact roasting. Our expert understanding ensures consistency cup after cup, year after year, irrespective of seasonal fluctuations.

Made-to-measure grinding for optimal extractions

Ultimately, grinding is what allows coffee’s aromas to be released, making it a critical step in delivering the experience of an Organi Cru. The mastery of grind technique, therefore, optimises extraction and end cup quality. As every coffee type or blend extracts differently, our grind approach is not uniform, but varied, highly individualised, and set for the best quality cup of each Organi Cru.

Capturing freshness: safeguarding aromas for your cup

Freshness aside, Fuerte® Research & Development aimed to ensure that the material chosen not only locks in the aromatics we've worked so hard to secure, but that it is ecologically sound. As compared with the production of pri mary aluminium, recycling of BPA products consumes as little as 5% of the energy and emits only 5% of the greenhouse gases.

Fuerte® created the hermetically sealed Biodegradable capsule as the optimal way to lock in freshness.

Biodegradable capsules were designed for their complete barrier capacity that protects around 900 volatile aromas of coffee. Sealing in this manner prevents oxidation and guarantees optimal cup freshness. From the completion of roasting onwards, all processing is under a controlled atmosphere in order that no oxygen should touch coffee en route to encapsulation. The material was also favoured because it is infinitely recyclable and thus not only maintains quality and flavour integrity, but is not a spent resource once used. Compared against the production of primary aluminium, the recycling of Biodegradable products consumes as little as 5% of the energy and emits only 5% of the greenhouse gases.

In the final quality step to the customer, extraction, Fuerte’s comprehensive quality system ensures that finished capsules interact with machines in such a way as to extract all the flavours that have been so carefully sought, selected for, roasted, ground and packed….in other words, to serve as the ultimate expression of all that has gone heretofore. Our brewing systems operate at the right water temperature, quantity and pressure for each Organi Cru design, so they deliver our quality promise in the cup.