July 18, 2017
Every so often you come across a business and its people so committed to their cause, it makes you want to stand up, move to Colombia, and shout from the coffee growing mountain tops. This is one of those days.
23 Degrees is the latest specialty coffee roaster to hit the Melbourne coffee scene. Tina Wendel and Anne Cooper are the dynamic duo behind this exciting brand, focusing on bringing women to the forefront of coffee.
A brand focusing on creating a 360 degree showcase for women in coffee at the top of their game, Tina has crafted a team and process that has second-to-none quality and traceability. Her entrepreneurial spirit runs deep into the philosophy of this new concept.
“I have always been inspired by the vision and courage of entrepreneurs in Australia. A wise person once told me that the best time to have planted a tree was 20 year ago, and the second-best time is now. Immersing myself in Melbourne’s amazing coffee culture, I just knew it was the right place, venture and time to pluck up the courage and give it a damn good go!”
From there she recruited award-winning Anne Cooper as a coffee roasting consultant through her company Equilibrium Master Roasters (Anne is a certified Q-Grader and Judge, member of the SCA Roasters Guild Executive Council, Judge for the Cup of Excellence and current Head Judge of the Golden Bean, just to name a few). 23 Degrees coffee is sourced from First Crop green bean importer and founder Celina Lazaru, and the Women Coffee Growers Project in Colombia - an initiative for women who have survived through wars and strife, and now continue to farm coffee. As you can see, 23 Degrees is not something done on a whim: this is a carefully crafted model that focuses on quality and flavour in a special way that empowers women across the chain.
Nothing represents this ethos more than the coffee we have today. For filter, we have a Colombian single from the Women Coffee Growers Project. A stunning vanilla and mandarin flower-bomb that will delight the senses and make you wonder how you ever drank anything else. This coffee is a limited run, chosen especially for 3tt members, and highlighting how 23 Degrees focuses on making specialty coffee accessible at all stages of development.
For espresso we have the delicious Little Ripper, a smooth creamy cup full of chocolate, strawberries and shortbread, with a pleasant underlying sweetness. This espresso seasonal blend combines two stunning single origins from Brazil and Peru: Fazenda Santa Ines, a previous Cup of Excellence Brazil winner, and a Finca La Naranja of Miraflores in Peru.
So what's in store for the future? 23 Degrees is soon to launch a new women-coffee-grower line, featuring different female growers from around the world.
We're delighted to see more outstanding coffees from women-run farms entering the speciality coffee arena - so sit back and enjoy this month’s coffees, and join 23 Degrees on their exciting journey ahead.
KEEP IN TOUCH!:
Instagram: 23degreescoffeeroasters
