Looking Back at 2021

::slaps knees:: Welp! It's time to lead 2021 out the door. It was yet another strange year, and certainly not what we expected, but it was an opportunity to sit tight, refocus, and take a harder look at accountability.

Travel was hindered for the second year in a row, disrupting our Direct Trade program but making space for a more flexible evolution. While we had fewer official Direct Trade offerings—which typically involve a trip to origin during harvest—we were able to establish new partnerships and agreements via phone and videoconference.

So what did the year look like?

•  We offered 61 unique Single Origin coffees
•  27 of those (44%) were Direct Trade
•  Those 27 coffees came from 11 Direct Trade partners. Those partnerships range in age from just one year to 16.
•  We continued introducing new incarnations of our Per Aspera benefit blend, focusing on programs that support our community, both locally and globally:

•  Per Aspera II benefited local community support group, SilverbackKS. We have worked with SilverbackKS for several years, providing coffee for their Sunday meal program and hosting a donations drop-off area in our cafe.
•  Per Aspera III benefited Grounds for Health, a program we've collaborated with several times, whose mission is to combat cervical cancer in coffee-growing communities.

•  We began a partnership with Food4Farmers to support their efforts in building food security in remote coffee-growing communities.

Awards + Accolades

The year started off with our roast of Tigesit Waqo's Natural Processed coffee winning a 2021 Good Food Award! (The new harvest is available in our store now.)

In April, Gear Patrol named us one of the 25 Best Roasters in America.

We had four separate high scoring coffees on Coffee Review:

•  Colombia Villa Loyola Carbonic Maceration: 93 Points, May 2021
•  Rwanda Kinini Village: 94 Points, June 2021
•  Colombia Las Margaritas Gesha Honey: 95 Points, November 2021
•  Costa Rica San Isidro Red Honey: 95 Points, December 2021

Of course, we couldn't have done any of this without you. This year, we introduced nearly 3,000 new customers to our coffee! You kept us roasting through logistical challenges, supply shortages, and more.

Some things to expect in 2022:

•  Delicious coffee, of course!
•  We will continue to support non-profit partners through our Per Aspera benefit blend. 
•  Our local Community Blend—a venture in sustainability and gifting.

With your continued support and patronage, we can look ahead with confidence and renewed determination to move forward. After all... Without the love, it's just coffee.

From all of us at PT's, Happy New Year and best wishes for 2022!