Journal
From Hightower
Writing on sourcing, green and roasted coffee, and the businesses across the supply chain.
Green Coffee Certifications Explained: What Each One Verifies
October 30, 2026
The certifications most common on green coffee listings What each standard verifies, and what it does not How to weigh certification against origin, price, and cup quality
FOB vs. Landed Cost for Green Coffee: What Buyers Pay
October 27, 2026
What FOB pricing includes and where it stops The landed costs buyers add on: freight, insurance, duties, and warehousing How to compare offers on a true cost-per-pound basis
How to Store Green Coffee Beans: A Freshness Guide
October 25, 2026
Understand green coffee aging: moisture, temperature, light, and odor transfer Set up storage that works: bags, bins, climate targets, and rotation by lot Spot freshness problems early: warning signs and how to adjust your roast schedule
Microlot vs Blend Coffee: How to Build Your Roastery Menu
October 24, 2026
Define the difference: lot size, traceability, and what microlot and blend actually mean on a supplier list Weigh the trade-offs: consistency, cost per pound, menu flexibility, and storytelling value Build a menu mix: when to reserve a microlot and when a dependable blend base wins
How to Evaluate Green Coffee Samples: Cupping Workflow
October 22, 2026
Set up a blind cupping: grind, water, ratios, and a scoring sheet that keeps comparisons fair Read the cup: acidity, body, sweetness, defects, and what each signal means for your menu Turn tasting notes into a buy decision: how sample scores map to volume, price, and next steps
How to Find Specialty Coffee Roasters Worth Buying From
October 6, 2026
What separates a specialty roaster worth buying from from one that merely says specialty: sourcing transparency, roast freshness, origin range, and how easily you can see what they actually roast. Ends with how to compare roasters side by side.
Find Coffee by Flavor: Turning "I Like It Fruity" Into a Coffee You'll Actually Love
October 5, 2026
How to translate everyday taste language - fruity, chocolatey, nutty, floral, light or dark - into the flavor-note and roast language used on coffee listings, and how to use a structured taste profile to narrow thousands of roasted options.
Where to Sell Green Coffee: How Producers and Importers Reach Real Buyers
October 4, 2026
A seller's guide to reaching green coffee buyers: what to publish about a lot so a buyer can evaluate it, how keeping your own checkout changes the model, and how listing structure connects a lot to buyers already searching for it.
Coffee by Origin: What Ethiopia, Colombia, and Brazil Actually Taste Like
October 3, 2026
A beginner's guide to reading coffee by origin: how growing region, altitude, variety, and process shape what ends up in the cup, what the major origins most often taste like, and how to use a passport-style record to track what you like.
Where to Buy Green Coffee Online: Suppliers, Importers, and Direct-from-Producer Options
October 2, 2026
A map of the routes a buyer can take to green coffee: importers and exporters, farms and cooperatives selling direct, and multi-seller directories. Explains what each route suits, how to narrow listings by origin and process, and how to keep the search in one place.
Green Coffee Marketplace vs. Broker Lists and Direct Outreach: What Actually Saves Time
October 1, 2026
A side-by-side look at the three real ways roasters source green coffee - broker and importer lists, direct outreach to producers or exporters, and a connected marketplace - covering what each is good at, where each costs time, and how verified-current inventory changes the comparison.
Buy Green Coffee Beans Wholesale: How Roasters Compare Lots Before They Commit
September 30, 2026
A practical walkthrough of evaluating and buying wholesale green coffee lots: defining the cup profile and volume you need, reading lot facts (origin, process, variety, cup score, availability, price), sampling before committing, and where to send a sourcing request when nothing listed fits.
Coffee Sourcing Platform vs. Scattered Supplier Lists: What Actually Saves Buyers Time
September 27, 2026
Comparing the two ways roasters and cafe owners source today: juggling supplier websites, broker lists, and inboxes versus a single marketplace with live inventory, sourcing requests, and matching. Shows where the connected workflow wins on speed and transparency.
How to Buy Green Coffee Beans Wholesale Without Chasing a Dozen Supplier Sites
September 26, 2026
Walk roasters and green buyers through a modern wholesale sourcing workflow: defining quality specs, comparing availability and price, requesting samples, and locking terms - with each step pointing to a live Hightower listing or sourcing request instead of a dead-end list of supplier links.
Green Coffee Marketplace vs. Broker Lists: What Actually Wins for Roasters
September 25, 2026
A direct comparison of sourcing across dozens of supplier websites and broker lists versus one marketplace where buyers search live inventory, post sourcing requests, and manage matches and conversations in a single dashboard. Built to convert comparison readers into marketplace searchers.
Green Coffee Sourcing FAQ: What Buyers and Sellers Ask Before Going Wholesale
September 24, 2026
Straight answers to the questions roasters, cafe owners, importers, and producers ask before sourcing or listing wholesale green coffee - from verifying suppliers and reading lot specs to posting sourcing requests and managing conversations. Built as a linkable reference that funnels readers into Hightower Marketplace.