FarmRaiser Partners: Flint Coffee Company

About the Family 

Teresa Villacorta and her husband John Cherry started the Flint Coffee Company to bring Teresa’s family’s coffee directly to the Flint community. Humberto Villacorta and his wife Juliana are coffee farmers in the village of Los Patos, Peru where their family has been farming coffee for over 45 years. Coffee farming can be an unpredictable business due to the potential of disease on the plants and constantly fluctuating prices. By sourcing beans from their family farm, the Flint Coffee Company can make sure the family has a constant buyer for their crop and that they receive a livable price for their work.

About the Coffee

By purchasing coffee beans from their own family, the Flint Coffee Company can ensure that the beans are of the highest quality. All of the coffee is shade grown in a traditional manner under a variety of trees, including fruit such as banana and papaya, and other native trees. Growing coffee in this manner mimics the natural habitat of coffee, protecting the biodiversity of the region and eliminating the need for pesticides or fungicides.

All of the coffee is harvested by hand, ensuring that only the ripest cherries (what the coffee fruit is called) are picked. During the harvest, the entire village of Los Patos comes together with all hands working together to harvest the coffee. Once harvested, the coffee cherries are depulped, leaving just the fresh green coffee beans. The are then fermented, washed, and dried in the sun. Once dry, they can be sent to Flint for roasting. Then of course, to make you a delicious cup of coffee!

Where to find Flint Coffee Company 

Of course you can purchase their coffee from FarmRaiser campaigns in the Flint area, but it is also available in plenty of locations throughout the community. You can purchase a cup of freshly made coffee at Bankok Peppers, Hoffman’s Deco Deli, Local Grocer in the Flint Farmers Market, and The Lunch Studio. If you’re looking for some freshly roasted beans to make coffee at home, stop by the Local Grocer in the Flint Farmers Market, Good Beans Cafe, or Trim Pines Farm in Holly.

Happy Coffee Drinking!

While coffee isn’t an agricultural product of the United States, we at FarmRaiser can’t help but acknowledge American’s love of coffee in our product selection process. So we’ve made a point to feature some incredibly progressive, community-based coffee companies throughout the country! Today, we’d like to introduce you to the Flint Coffee Company – who source coffee beans from their family’s farm in Los Patos, Peru to make a surprisingly family-focused multi-continent business!