Géogène = that which comes from the earth
Micro-roasting = our same artisan roasting, respectful of the nature of the product, on a much smaller scale.
Lets start at the beginning. Coffee and the way it is cultivated, fermented, stored, roasted, brewed and savoured has greatly evolved in the last few years. In this blog article, we will of course talk about Géogène, but to get a better understanding, we will also talk about coffee’s 3rd wave. Which means there was a first and a second wave, that can be described like this:
- The first wave was the democratization of coffee: a significant growth in production at the expense of quality. This black gold became available to everyone, no longer the exclusive privilege of the wealthy.
- The second wave is a consequence of the first. People got tired of lesser quality coffees and started to want to know more about its origin.
- The third wave, the diversity of coffee sees the light of day: artisan roasters, baristas and many small independent coffee shops make their appearance. The importance is put on the coffee producers and the care they take with their harvest. Coffee beans are treated with finesse, much like the grapes of fine wine.
Géogène started with an ever growing passion for coffee and a conscious effort for the democratization of its third wave. With as little middlemen as possible, the guys had in mind to delicately and scientifically roast the beans (Respect), then market them with their unique sens of originality (Pleasure).
Everything started with Sam (owner of a renowned coffee shop and customer of ours since the very beginning) and Guillaume (barista extraordinaire for many years), who were driven by their desire to (repeatedly) create “godshots” (perfect espressos). This brought them to experiment with roasting, asking our master roaster (Bruno) for his guidance, roasting with him, reading and continuing to read on the science of roasting. Because roasting is an art, thousands of years old, to make wonderfully delicious the seed of this awesome fruit.
They thought that this project would take many years to get off the ground. They got a nano roaster, able to only roast 1lb at a time. Just to give you an idea, Bruno’s roaster can roast up to 25lb per batch. Each batch takes between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on the desired roast. It is therefore understandable why Géogène coffees are a little more expensive: the time it takes to prepare, the know how to reach optimal results, the quality of the coffee – fair trade and organic, and the fact that it is offered in a compostable bag.
Well, the results they got with the nano roaster proved to be so convincing, that they decided to shorten their timetable and launch their products much sooner than scheduled. With Bruno, they discussed the possibilities of a partnership, using a more scientific method of roasting. If they were to use Northern-Coffee’s roaster to produce their Géogène products, this would require adding a few technical components, such as sensors, valves and a USB interface to be able to follow the roasting curve.
Bruno, having been passionate about coffee for the longest time, accepted on the spot! Because even if it is artisanal, our roasting method would become so much more precise. The ability to exchange information will enable us to find THE best roast for each of our coffees.
So we are very happy to present to you the result of our collaboration:
- Extravaganza Blend
- Pop Blend
- Vertuose Blend
- Single Origin Coffee
- Microlot Coffee
- Decaf Coffee
In closing, we would like you to know that for Sam and Guillaume, as for us, the relationship we have with our customers and our suppliers is most important to us. So thank you, dear customers, for being our most valuable spokespersons. You have been very kind with us and we do appreciate it! We hope you will enjoy these awesome new products!
Sam, Guillaume, Bruno & Nancy