Matt knows his coffee beans and Ritual is the new kid on the block
Marlborough's only 100% fairtrade and organic roasting company
A Brief History Ritual Coffee Company is the brainchild of me, Matt Hellriegel. It began as a bit of a dream, while I worked summer holidays as a teenager in my parent's coffee cart at the Marlborough Farmers Market.
After High School I shot up to Wellington and worked in the hospitality industry for two years. I crammed as much coffee knowledge I could into my brain before making the decision to take the plunge and start up my own roasting business.
That choice was followed by a trip to a small mining town in Western Australia where I started to save some “decent coin” working in an explosives factory for the better part of 6 months. When I returned home I bought a beautiful little coffee roaster from Turkey and began experimenting with blends and roasting techniques. The goal was pretty simple: to put out out the best coffee in town. In the summer of 2009 after much list making & chin stroking, Ritual Coffee made it's public debut at the Marlborough Farmers Market in Ben & Heathers Coffee Cart, the very place the vision had begun.
The response has been pretty phenomenal & really humbling. I offer so many thanks to anyone who has taken the time to offer their opinions, and to those of you who come back every week for your fix. Thanks for making my Ritual your ritual.
The Blend Unlike the bulk of coffee companies, I have focused all of my energy on ONE decent blend rather than a flurry of mediocre brews. I have continued to use high quality fairtrade & organic beans, and charge a really fair price, even as the price of green beans continues to grow.
The blend consists of four single origins... Peru Piura: An earthy bean with a rich chocolate quality, this bean retains its smooth qualities even in a dark roast.
Guatemala Huehuetenango: This bean brings a complexity to the blend. It has sweet, fruity qualities which balance the earthy tones of the Peru Piura
Mexico Chiapas: This Mexican bean holds delicate caramel and vanilla flavours which give the blend a rich creamy quality. If roasted too dark this bean can be overwhelmingly bitter but when roasted well it is a beautiful single origin
Ethiopia Sidamo: Beans from Ethiopia are considered by many to be the best in the world. The Ethiopia Sidamo is no exception. Its sweet, floral flavours are what gives this blend its special, signature tang. Like the Mexican bean, when pushed too dark the Sidamo can lose many of its unique qualities, but when roasted to perfection it is my favourite coffee bean around.
So What Excactly Is Fairtrade? Fair Trade is an organised social movement that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards.
Basically by buying a fairtrade product you are purchasing something which guarantees the producer is being paid a fair price.
What's So Great About Organic Anyway? Organic Coffee is better for your body and better for the earth, it's a simple as that.
Organic coffee is coffee that has been grown according to organic farming standards and techniques, without the use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides.
Where to from here? One of my exciting future goals is to become one of New Zealand's only Carbon Neutral Coffee Roasteries.
I'm also looking at introducing a “Single Origin of the month” for anyone who's interested in a bit of variety, or just wanting to learn a little about what makes different coffees so unique.
