A MALAGA direct trader will showcase coffee and cacao beans from his hometown Panama at the Perth Good Food and Wine Show (GFWS) for a second-straight year in July.
Fiebre Coffee owner Jose Castillo, who hails from Panama in Central America, will also be exhibiting his ‘bean to bar’ chocolate collaboration range with Cailo Chocolate.
The trader imports specialty coffee and cacao beans from a farm in Panama directly to Fremantle and roasts the beans in Malaga.
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READ NOWMr Castillo said directly traded coffee from farm to the roaster, represented one per cent of the global trade.
“I have been involved around sourcing of coffee because I grew up in Panama, so I am very familiar with the farms and what happens down at the farms,” he said.
“We want to do justice to all the work that the farm does on the chocolate and coffee beans and do the best we can to provide not only flavour but experience to the consumer.
“It is special because Panama is my origin also because we have a direct relationship with the people who work at the farm.”
Mr Castillo said it was difficult to enter the specific market for directly traded coffee.
“Our main difference is quality over price; we cannot compete on price because directly traded coffee attracts higher premium especially Panamanian coffee and chocolate,” he said.
“There are a lot of chocolate around but what we do is we are making ‘bean to bar chocolate’, which is 100 per cent handmade and only very little amount of ingredients.”
Mr Castillo said samples, products, cold brew coffee and hot coffee options will be available at their stall.
The GFWS will be held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 1.
