Journal — November 2024

I hope your Holiday season is off to a lovely start. I know this is coming after Thanksgiving, due to some scheduling issues at the Roastery in Italy, and then shipping pacing around Black Friday, but I also know that whenever this parcel finds its way to you, you’re in for a treat. Florence’s Ditta Artigianale is kind of where I started my journey into the coffee industry.

In 2015, when my little sister was studying in Florence, I got to visit her for a week between work trips. I’d always heard about Italy’s storied espresso culture. So when I arrived, I was pretty sad to find a lot of bad coffee and very little insight into where to find the good stuff. But after hours of searching the blog posts and foursquare checkins of 2015 internet, I found a story about a new cafe that was marrying traditional Italian espresso culture with modern speciality coffee roasting and brewing standards. I immediately headed that way, and walking in, I knew I had stumbled onto a really special place. I went back each day that trip and told everyone I could about how great it was.

That inspired my first coffee project, A Traveler’s Guide to Quality Coffee Around the World. I figured I should have to be the only one wasting so much time drinking bad coffee in cities filled with such good coffee.

So long story short, I’ve always wanted to feature Ditta, and I’m glad to finally be doing so. This month’s offerings are all fantastic, and we picked them because they are the kind of coffees that you, Yonder subscriber, will love—as will your house guests who aren’t really coffee people. Our main feature comes from Almaz Teklu, a mother of five, who is also a farmer in Chelchelie a village (kebele) in the Gedeb district of Ethiopia, close to Yirgacheffe. This coffee lot was grown under the protective shade of Acacia and Sudan Teak (Cordia Africana) in the 2.6-hectare area surrounding Almaz's home.

I love glimpses into the lives of our producers. It’s a good reminder to be thankful for the labor of the hardworking people all over the world—from Ethiopia to Italy to your post office—who allow us enjoy each cup we brew. I’m grateful to the friends I made with Traveler’s Guide, who inspired me to start Yonder and who consistently inspire me to serve my community as well as I can. And I’m especially grateful for you, subscription family, for giving me the chance to share coffee with you each morning. That’s my favorite part. Grazie Mille!