Balzac News

Green coffee news, industry and logistics updates, guides and stories from origin, from a family-owned Charleston importer since 1917.

Burlap bags of green coffee stacked in the Balzac Brothers warehouse
Education
How Green Coffee Forward Contracts Work (and Why Roasters Use Them)
|Brendan Keane
What goes into a green coffee forward contract, what it protects you from, what storage costs, and the hard questions to ask before you lock a coffee down. Read more...
Aerial view of coffee drying patios and trees at a farm in El Salvador, with a News from the Crew banner
Origins & Impact
Judging the Global Coffee Awards: From El Salvador to Charleston
|Balzac Brothers
Traci Armstrong judged the first Global Coffee Awards World Championship in El Salvador, we visited Mapache's Marsellesa nursery, and then our Charleston lab hosted the GCA's Africa, Asia and MENA... Read more...
Pour-over drippers, a French press and a steel cup on the brew shelf in the Balzac Brothers lab
Education
In Defense of Decaf: A Pure Love Story in Coffee
|Brendan Keane
Decaf still gets a bad rap. Here's why the stigma is out of date, who actually drinks decaf, and why the people ordering it may be the biggest coffee lovers... Read more...
Balzac Brothers green coffee samples
Coffee News
Samples, Whenever You Want Them
|Balzac Brothers
You can now request green or roasted coffee samples right from your Balzac Brothers Partner Portal. Pick your coffees, hit submit, and they ship within 2 business days. Read more...
Cumbres coffee farms in Antioquia, Colombia: mountain coffee fields, green coffee, a producer family and a bird in the trees
Origins & Impact
From Colombia, With Partnership: Our Work with Cumbres in Antioquia
|Sam Keane Morgan
Some coffee relationships begin with a great sample. The best grow into partnerships. Here's the story behind our long-term work with Cumbres in Antioquia, Colombia, and the Cumbres Balzac Select. Read more...
Four Indonesian coffees from Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi and Flores, shown as cherries and green coffee drying
Coffee News
Four Islands of Indonesia: Java, Flores, Sulawesi and Sumatra Green Coffee
|Sam Keane Morgan
Four distinct Indonesian coffees from Java, Flores, Sulawesi and Sumatra arrived together in one mixed container from Mandiri Kopi. Here's what makes each island's coffee different. Read more...
Women from a coffee-growing community standing in front of drying beds, Grounds for Health auction banner
Origins & Impact
Grounds for Health Coffee Auction 2026: Great Coffee, Greater Impact
|Sam Keane Morgan
The Grounds for Health Coffee Auction is back, with 100% of proceeds supporting cervical cancer prevention in coffee-growing communities. Here's why it matters to us and what we donated this... Read more...
Young coffee seedlings sprouting from healthy soil
Education
What Is Regenerative Organic Certified Coffee? ROC vs. USDA Organic
|Nathaniel Hirschler
Regenerative Organic Certified coffee goes beyond USDA Organic, adding standards for soil health, animal welfare and social fairness. Here's how ROC works, how its Bronze, Silver and Gold levels differ,... Read more...
The Balzac Brothers team cupping coffee in the Charleston lab
Education
Swiss Water vs. European Process Decaf: How Our Two Decafs Compare
|Brendan Keane
Swiss Water or European Process? How our two decafs remove caffeine, how they taste, why decaf costs more, and what the methylene chloride headlines actually mean. Read more...
CoopeTarrazú coffees from Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Origins & Impact
Catch a Wave of Flavor from Tarrazú: CoopeTarrazú 2026 Arrivals
|Sam Keane Morgan
Another year of CoopeTarrazú coffees has landed: Tirra Honey, Tirra Natural and La Pastora from the Los Santos region of Costa Rica, plus why this cooperative matters well beyond the... Read more...
FESICH Fair Trade Organic coffee from Chiapas, Mexico
Origins & Impact
Fresh Arrival: FESICH Fair Trade Organic Coffee from Chiapas, Mexico
|Sam Keane Morgan
Our latest shipment from FESICH has landed: a Fair Trade Organic washed coffee from smallholder producers on the edge of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico. Read more...
LTL freight update
Logistics
Dear LTL, Are You Okay?
|Traci Armstrong
Short answer: it's complicated. Here's why freight has gotten unpredictable since the Supreme Court's Montgomery ruling, and how to plan around it. Read more...
New crop Ethiopian coffee from Kuru and Worka Sakaro
Coffee News
Ethiopia 2026 New Crop: Kuru Konga, Suke Guji and Worka Sakaro
|Sam Keane Morgan
Our first new crop Ethiopians of 2026: washed lots from Kuru's Konga and Suke stations and Worka Sakaro in Gedeb, including an Anaerobic Natural. Now with arrival cupping notes. Read more...
Fazenda do Salto coffee farm in Sul de Minas, Brazil
Origins & Impact
Fazenda do Salto: Rainforest Alliance Brazil Coffee Arrival
|Sam Keane Morgan
Our latest shipment from Fazenda do Salto in Sul de Minas, Brazil has landed: Rainforest Alliance 2/3 MTGB and Peaberry from a family farm we've worked with for years. Read more...
Balzac Brothers logistics update
Logistics
Logistics Updates: News You Can Use
|Traci Armstrong
A year-end look at ocean freight, inland LTL, and warehousing, plus what roasters can expect heading into 2026. Read more...
A Recap of the 2020 Coffee Quality Summit in Yepocapa: Building Resiliency into the Supply Chain
Origins & Impact
A Recap of the 2020 Coffee Quality Summit in Yepocapa: Building Resiliency into the Supply Chain
|Balzac Brothers
Nearly 150 producers gathered in San Pedro de Yepocapa, Guatemala, for the second Coffee Quality Summit: a day of cupping, defect training and talks on reaching specialty markets. Read more...
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Origins & Impact
Rainforest Alliance Cupping 2014
|Balzac Brothers
Our Rainforest Alliance friends decided that they loved Charleston as much as we do, and wanted to host the cupping competition here again! This year we knew what to expect,... Read more...
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Origins & Impact
Rainforest Alliance Cupping Competition
|Balzac Brothers
This past week Balzac Brothers hosted the Rainforest Alliance Cupping Competition. Usually this is held in New York, but this year, we offered to host it here in Charleston! To... Read more...