It has been too long since we have had either a new bean or crop in and today I'm happy to announce both.
Peru Ucayali River 2022 Direct Trade is back and in all of its unique vibrant glory. They are available both Retail and Wholesale. The chocolate opens with floral notes, namely delicate cherry blossom. Mixed in there is something that makes me think warm summer day, some vibrancy of sun and life. The flavor continues that vibrancy with a sharp but controlled tang like the bite of a ripe nectarine. The fruit continues with a restrained brightness of melon and passion fruit.
As for new beans, that was frankly a pre-annoucement tease but I really do want to tell you about it.
I've secured some Venezuelan Ocumare and Cuyagua. It has been, oh goodness, a decade(?) since I've been able to offer these. Something happened and quality just stopped being what I expected from them and instead of just selling a name, I decided to stop offering them altogether. These both have the lovely subtle elegance that I expect from them. Look for them some time next week.
Finally, in both these cases, I feel I need to talk about prices and the impact that we are seeing from Covid (yes, it is very much a thing still). I’m not going to ramble too horribly but I want to address what many of you might not even notice. The prices on many of our beans and Ucayali in particular are higher than I’ve ever offered them at and I don’t like it. I had hoped I could drop prices over the years. Why have they gone up? Well, it isn’t a money grab. It isn’t higher wages though wages have affected things. The main culprit is shipping prices caused by the major upheavals the supply chain is, and has been, going through. In the past, shipping containers cost $1500-2500 depending upon location size. Due to supply, demand and very possibly some money grabbing (I can’t prove that but….) the same containers, if you can even get one can range from $15,000-25,000. Yes, that is a 10 fold increase that none of us can do anything about beyond passing it on down to the customer. All I can do is reduce my margins for raw beans, and I’ve done that to help avoid $16/lb beans.
For Ucayali in particular, I committed to these beans last year and put 50% down yet when they hit port, the balance had gone up by over 50% due to increased shipping and reduced supply. I was given the option to cancel the order but decided it was better to support the farmers, supply chain and and give buyers the option to do the same, though at higher prices.
Bluntly said, I hope you feel the same way.