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Rich blends, the best flavours: we do our utmost to convey just that happiness to you. This process isn’t easy by any means of course, but we gladly go through it and we have enough experience by now to know what it is that makes our coffee truly ‘our coffee’.
Quality is a key word at Hesselink Koffie, and the first quality criterion starts at the selection process of the (still green) bean. We go for the ‘finest beans’, solely from the best plantations across the world. We select only the highest quality coffee beans for our coffee with utmost care, and we know exactly where the beans originate. We don’t go for ‘just’ a bean, only the best will do. Do you want to know how we do that? You can read about it below.
Quality coffee, what does it actually say? At Hesselink Koffie, the coffee complies with a number of demands to guarantee the quality. We work exclusively with coffee producers and importers who maintain a high quality standard. This has various benefits. After all, the higher the quality of the coffee, the better the bonus will be for the producers. It means that the producer receives a more viable income for a similar effort. In this way they can invest in sustainable solutions, and you drink even better coffee. So it’s a win-win-win situation.
Our coffee is already certified with various quality marks, but just a certification doesn’t automatically mean that the coffee is of good quality. The quality is the result of a combination of several factors. How do we strive for that at Hesselink Koffie? The beans are picked at high altitude and carefully screened. Only the best beans make it through a selection. The selected beans are subject to a minimal amount of pesticides, or none at all, and they are hand picked. In this way, the unripe beans get an even longer time to ripen.
Hesselink Koffie operates exclusively at the top of the pyramid of the coffee landscape. With that, we mean the entire market and the various ways of producing coffee. We do it because that’s the only way to guarantee the optimal quality of our coffee. Because quality is a combination of several factors. Factors that go back to sustainability, growth process and size of the bean, as well as the taste and aroma of the coffee. We have outlined the coffee landscape to show what it is that makes Hesselink Koffie truly Hesselink Koffie, and why we dare to say that we are sustainable and make great coffee.
Our blends are provided with multiple certificates that guarantee the sustainability of the products. With us, it doesn’t stop at one sustainability hallmark that protects the eco systems, people and animals. Hesselink Koffie is affiliated with multiple hallmark organisations. The combination of various hallmarks provides an optimal guarantee of sustainable coffee.
The quality of our coffee is achieved by constantly making the best decisions during the picking process. This guarantees good coffee. Of course, we pay a higher price to our farmers, which enables them to operate even more sustainably. In this way, the whole chain benefits.
The beans that make it through our selection comply with a number of strict requirements. Size is a part of this. The larger the bean, the better it is. After all, a large bean has developed more and has a more full-bodied taste. Regarding the altitude at which the coffee plant grows, plants growing at higher altitude thrive better than those that grow at a lower level. Due to the thin air, the beans grow more slowly, meaning they have more time to absorb vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, the rainwater drains more quickly from the hillside. This quick drainage makes fatter berries and better flavour concentration. The coffee plant has to work harder for the best taste and that pays off!
Within the coffee market, there is a big demand for B-quality, which makes it a rare commodity. This means that coffee farmers are forced to add their A-quality beans to B-quality loads, for a B-quality price. We exclusively procure A-quality beans. With this, we not only guarantee our consumer the best quality, but we also guarantee a fair price for our coffee farmers. Our beans comply with the highest quality demands. The coffee is given a number of points, depending on various factors. The range goes from -50 points to 100 points. The coffee that we procure has scored at least 80 points during a test conducted by an independent test panel. Consequently, the coffee we sell is always fitted with a premium or excellent label.
By constantly monitoring the conditions from the source onwards, we can guarantee the quality of our coffee. This gives us the assurance to say that the consumer drinks truly good coffee: coffee that is good for people and the environment.
A general rule for coffee beans is: the larger the bean, the better the quality. Consequently, here at Hesselink Koffie we work exclusively with beans of a certain size to meet that criterion.
The beans are picked manually. Only the ripe berries of a similar size are selected. This means that the farmer only takes the best quality beans.
Strictly High Grown is the highest quality coffee in existence. The coffee plant has to work harder for the best flavour at high altitude. It pays off.
No less than Premium Grade: a team of independent professionals tests the coffee and gives it points. Hesselink Koffie only procures coffee that scores more than 80 points.
Hesselink Koffie conciously sells only quality coffee. With the sale of certified coffee or high quality certified coffee, we not only ensure that the coffee farmer receives an extra bonus for his coffee beans, but it also motivates the farmer to invest in his plantation in order to make more money in the long run by offering high quality coffee beans.
We use Arabica and Robusta beans. Though Arabica is known as the ‘better’ coffee, we are convinced that it is better to opt for A-quality Robusta than B-quality Arabica. The flavour is strongly dependent on the production area, as well as the climate. After harvesting, the beans are screened for quality. There is a possibility that there are different degrees of quality at the same plantation.
At Hesselink Koffie, we are always looking for the best quality.
Quality coffee has an impact on the first, and most vulnerable, link in the coffee production chain. When the consumer is prepared to pay a fair price for a cup of coffee, this greatly impacts the coffee farmers on the other side of the chain.
