2025 – cumpa around the world

2025 was a year in which we at cumpa became more internationally connected, developed further as 2025 brought deeper international connections for us at cumpa, alongside professional growth and personal learning. We had the chance to build new partnerships, deepen existing relationships, and work side by side with producers and roasters to understand coffee for what it is to us: a connection between people.

At the same time, we grew as a team. We added new origins and new Coffea species to our portfolio and sharpened our perspective on Coffea diversity — with curiosity, respect, and the commitment to always think quality and origin together.

Many people carried us through 2025. We only mention a few places and projects here, but we mean everyone who walks this path with us — at origin, in export, in roasteries, and in everyday exchange.

Internally, 2025 was a year of growth.

At the start of the year, Christine officially joined cumpa. She supports us across sales, operations, and logistics. After her bachelor’s thesis and her time with us as a working student, Clara stepped into the role of Marketing Manager and has since been responsible for communication and community work.

On a personal note, things changed too: Lukas became a father for the second time. This mix of professional steps and everyday life shaped the year and brought us closer together as a team.

At the same time, we continued to expand our collaboration with freelance experts. That includes Sierra, a freelancer we worked with to develop new formats and events around education and community — and with whom we delivered our first own format in England. Partnerships like these widen perspectives and help us translate knowledge into new contexts.

One of the biggest steps this year was expanding our network with two new origins: Brasilien and El Salvador. Both add to what has already grown over time — bringing new profiles, new conditions, and above all, new people and stories into our work.

In parallel, we deepened our work around Coffea Diversity. Beyond Arabica and Canephora, our focus this year was especially on Liberica, Excelsa (Coffea dewevrei), and other rarer species. New projects in Asia and Africa, visits to botanical gardens, and exchanges with research teams sharpened our perspective: genetic diversity isn’t a side topic — it’s one of the foundations for coffee’s future.

In 2025, we spent a lot of time on the road — to experience coffee where it´s produced.

That took us to Vietnam, Peru, Brazil, El Salvador, Panama, and the Democratic Republic Congo, as well as to Java and Bali. We also visited Liberica farms in Laos. On the ground, we cupped with producers, talked through processing, tasted new lots, and planned long-term next steps — including the Origin Trip nach Vietnam for roasters, which we announced in 2025.

For us, these visits are more than project milestones. They’re the moments where trust grows — and where data and sample sheets turn into shared decisions.

There was plenty of movement in Europe in 2025, too. We travelled to trade shows, festivals, and community cuppings — and got to meet producers not only at origin, but here on the ground as well.

Besonders eindrücklich war, dass mehrere unserer Partner*innen aus den Origins nach Europa gereist sind. Unter anderem Luisa aus Brasilien, Thai aus Vietnam sowie Don Martin und Jimmy aus Peru. Gemeinsam haben wir Kaffees verkostet, Feedback geteilt und darüber gesprochen, wie sich Qualität, Transparenz und Coffea Diversity weiterentwickeln können.

One of the most memorable parts was seeing several of our partners from origin travel to Europe. Among them were Luisa from Brazil, Thai from Vietnam, and Don Martin and Jimmy from Peru. Together, we tasted coffees, shared feedback, and talked about how quality, transparency, and Coffea Diversity can keep evolving.

These encounters remind us every time what this is really about: when people across the entire value chain come together directly, something shifts — at origin, in the roastery, and at the cupping table with the community.

In 2025, cumpa was present across Europe, too. We showed up at major industry gatherings like World of Coffee in Jakarta and Geneva, at festivals in cities like Prague and Paris, and at many community cuppings in Germany and beyond. In several cities, we hosted cuppings focused on Canephora, Liberica, and Excelsa — together with partners — to explore just how diverse coffee can be beyond Arabica.

All of these encounters made one thing feel very clear: the coffee community is curious. Open to new species, new origins, and new perspectives — when they’re shared, explained, and tasted together.

We also made a conscious investment in knowledge in 2025. We completed further training, including a CVA qualification in Ho Chi Minh City, took part in specialist formats such as the Cup of Excellence in Brazil, and exchanged ideas with researchers working on botany, genetics, and post-harvest processes.

A standout moment was the scientific re-evaluation of Liberica and related species. It confirmed that the term “Liberica” actually refers to several distinct species — and that language and precision genuinely matter in the world of Coffea.

Just as important for our community and for Canephorum was the official release of the Canephora Flavour Wheel. For the first time, this provides a dedicated, scientifically grounded sensory vocabulary for Canephora. Insights like these feed directly into our work with producers — and into how we talk about quality, transparency, and Coffea Diversity.

This year, we shared our first official vision statement:
Common ground. Uncommon coffee.
It captures what drives us: connection between people. Diversity as the basis of quality. And the openness to explore new paths in coffee — together, step by step.

At the end of this year, what remains most of all is gratitude.

Thank you to all producers who work with us on quality, transparency, and diversity.
Thank you to all roasters who roast our coffees — and make origin visible through their work.
Thank you to all scientists and researchers who share data, help create context, and open up new questions.
Thank you to our customers and the community who stay close, give feedback, and bring curiosity to Coffea Diversity.

We’re looking forward to the year ahead. To new coffees, new projects, and many more moments where coffee becomes connection — between people, across origins.