In this episode, I travel to the top of the Tecapa volcano in El Salvador to sit down with Diego Baraona, a fifth-generation coffee producer and the owner of Los Pirineos farm. Diego took over the family business in 2020 after his father passed away and he has since become a vital partner in our mission to produce more resilient and mindful coffee.

In our conversation, we focus on the progress of the TW Biological Project, an initiative we launched together in 2023 with the goal of transitioning his farming practices toward a regenerative model over a ten-year period.

Diego explains how he has managed to drastically reduce his reliance on chemical fertilizers and herbicides, cutting his annual input costs from nearly $100,000 down to just $12,000. This was achieved by building aerobic bioreactors to grow beneficial microorganisms and fungi, such as mycorrhizae, to restore the natural biology of the soil. We discuss the critical role of shade trees, the use of traditional varieties like Pacamara and Bourbon, and his recent experimentation with new genetics like Geisha from Malawi and Arara from Brazil.

Beyond the technical information, Diego reflects on the shift in mindset required to be a modern producer: having the patience to let the ecosystem heal and the desire to create a farm that is not only a source of high-quality coffee, but a thriving home for local biodiversity. His optimism after seeing the first visual improvements on the farm is a promising sign that the path toward regenerative agriculture is the right one for the future of specialty coffee.

Music by my uncle Jens Wendelboe.

This episode was recorded "live" from the C. Dorman cupping lab while Tim was in Kenya in January in order to taste and select coffees for purchasing.

Like many of our listeners and followers already know, we prefer to work directly with farmers over years in order to improve the quality of their coffees and their farms. Due to how the Kenyan coffee industry is organised, it is the only origin we buy from where we do not have a direct relationship with a single farmer.

This is because the majority of the best coffees are coming from smallholder farmers who sell their coffee cherries to co-operatives, where the coffees are bulked together for processing and drying.

Buying coffees in Kenya is therefore a bit different to what we are used to and Tim visits Kenya on an annual basis in order to taste through hundreds of coffee samples to make his selection every year.

Listen in on Tim's thoughts around Kenyan coffee quality and how he approaches buying coffees in Kenya.

As the year comes to a close, I sit down with Ben Symes, our wholesale manager, to reflect on 2025 and look back on what has made this year special.

In this episode, we talk about the farms we work with around the world, reflect on the 2025 harvests, the coffees that stood out to us, and the relationships we continue to build with the people who produce our coffees. We also share highlights from our projects this year, including our biological farming initiative, producing long-format films from the farms, and following the achievements of our team.

Alongside the farms, we look back on experiences that made 2025 memorable: being recognized 5th on the 100 Best Coffee Shops list, celebrating Stephanie’s 15-year anniversary and Ben’s 10 years with the company, traveling to inspiring coffee events and destinations, and, for the third year in a row, receiving the Sprudgie Award for Best Coffee Podcast, an achievement we are truly grateful for and could not have done without the support of our listeners.

Above all, we want to thank you for supporting us. Every day we strive to make the coffees we roast and share as good as they can be, and we look forward to sharing more great coffee experiences with you in 2026.