Portland Coffee Roasters, formerly known as Portland Roasting Coffee, has released its 12th annual Holiday Roast and is running a fundraiser to benefit growers. This year’s Holiday Roast is medium-bodied with flavor notes of brown sugar, dark chocolate, cardamom and other holiday spices. It is available at major grocery stores, Portland Coffee Roasters cafes and online at PortlandCoffeeRoasters.com now through Dec. 31. The company will donate $1 for every sale of 12-oz. bags of the Holiday Roast to support Escuela de Caficultura, a school of agriculture in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, which teaches essential knowledge and skills of coffee production. The goal is to raise $8,000 from sales of the Holiday Roast.
The coffee beans for the Holiday Roast come from 15 smallholder cooperatives in Huehuetenango, many of which are made up of an indigenous people called the Mam who live in the western highlands of Guatemala and southwestern parts of Mexico.
“To be able to buy high-quality coffee well above market prices from these smallholders is really meaningful, and we are proud and honored to be able to roast this coffee for our holiday blend,” said Mark Stell, founder and managing partner of Portland Coffee Roasters. “The funds raised through this campaign will help impact the coffee industry in Guatemala by providing students with multi-course educational programs with a commitment to environmentally responsible agricultural practices.”
Portland Coffee Roasters recently changed its name from Portland Roasting Coffee and updated its logo and branding. Its front label design of the 12-oz. Holiday Roast bag features a Mayan pyramid to symbolize the coffee region’s historical heritage.