KOUOPTAMO, CAMEROON

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TASTING NOTES OVALTINE, BAKING SPICE, PRUNE
ORIGIN CAMEROON
REGION KOUOPTAMO, WESTERN CAMEROON
FARM GRASSFIELD CO OPERATIVE
VARIETY JAVA
PROCESS METHOD WASHED, 24 TO 36 HOUR FERMENTATION, SUN DRIED ON RAISED BEDS

ABOUT
Our January Passport takes us to western Cameroon, a region with a long and complicated relationship to coffee. Grassfield Co op was founded in 2019 as a collective of smallholder producers working across Foumbot, Bamenda, Mbouda, Bafoussam, and Kouoptamo. The cooperative was formed with a clear goal: to preserve and elevate high quality Arabica production in a country where coffee once thrived, then nearly disappeared from the global conversation.

Coffee first arrived in Cameroon in the late nineteenth century under German colonial rule, but it was not until the 1920s that Arabica found its footing in the western highlands. The volcanic slopes surrounding Mount Oku offered ideal growing conditions, and for decades Cameroon was a major coffee producer. At its peak, the country exported nearly three million bags annually. That number has since fallen dramatically, largely due to the collapse of international price agreements, the removal of government support, and the aging of coffee trees across the region.

Today, more than eighty percent of Cameroon’s coffee production is Robusta, but the high altitude, volcanic soil, and diverse microclimates of the western highlands remain uniquely suited to Arabica. Grassfield Co op works within this landscape, sourcing cherries from smallholder farmers and processing them through centralized washing and drying facilities to ensure consistency and quality.

This lot is fully washed, with a controlled fermentation lasting between twenty four and thirty six hours. After washing, the parchment is sun dried on raised African beds for seven to eight days until it reaches stable moisture levels. The careful attention to fermentation and drying brings clarity and balance to the cup while preserving the character of the Java variety, which has quietly become one of Cameroon’s most promising cultivars.

In the cup, this coffee is comforting and structured. Notes of Ovaltine and baking spice form the foundation, with a subtle prune like sweetness adding depth and warmth. It is not flashy or sharp, but steady, layered, and deeply satisfying. A coffee that invites you to slow down and pay attention.

This January Passport is more than a new origin. It is a reminder of what careful collaboration, thoughtful processing, and renewed investment can bring back to a region with deep coffee roots. Grassfield Co op represents a forward looking chapter in Cameroon’s coffee story, and we are proud to share it with you.