Behind the Beans: Christine Huemer, Cumpa

As the founder of Finca’s Finest, I knew cumpa from the specialty coffee scene, especially because of their focus on Canephora—just like most importers know each other. We share values such as transparency, quality, openness, commitment, trust, efficiency, and a deep passion for the product, as well as treating partners as equals, among many others. My collaboration with cumpa came about almost naturally as a result, and I am very happy that the spirit of Finca’s Finest will continue at cumpa.

Because I was open to new experiences and courageous enough to take a new path.

After many years in banking and a longer break, the coffee business presented itself as a great opportunity for me to become self-employed, leverage my language skills, and connect Europe with Central America. It was also somewhat of a spontaneous decision that led me to coffee imports and El Salvador. Doors opened—I walked through them and eventually found my place in the world of specialty coffee.

One of the key moments was a trip to El Salvador as part of the Berlin School of Coffee’s Coffeemasters program. In addition to gaining valuable knowledge, I made numerous connections with producers and industry experts. This gave me the confidence to take the leap and start my own business, importing green coffee.

The diversity of varieties, processes and profiles. You can lose yourself in every single topic in the “from-seed-to-cup” chain and never stop learning. In addition, there are so many people who work in the industry as career changers (like me) and always bring in new points of view and perspectives.

I want to increase the visibility of everything that happens and is necessary until a cup of coffee is on the table.

Conscious enjoyment, a sip of luxury.
For me, specialty coffee also means drinking less coffee than I used to. Wherever I know I won’t like the coffee, I no longer order any (mostly in hotels, unfortunately in many restaurants, on airplanes, etc.). I often travel with a coffee grinder and filter so that I don’t have to do without the pleasure. When camping, I always take a French press with me.

When it became clear that I was going to start my own business as a coffee importer, I started by building up my expertise. This included visits to fincas and beneficios in Guatemala and El Salvador, barista and roasting courses and all that.

In hindsight, the craziest thing was that I signed up for the Q-Grader course in Guatemala right at the beginning without knowing exactly what it was. Ok, compact coffee knowledge at a high level. All right, that’s what I need. So off we went. And – totally crazy from today’s perspective – I passed with two additional exams.

I would like to dispel the romanticized image of coffee.

The idyllic portrayal of smiling coffee farmers picking vibrant coffee cherries—often associated with coffee culture—does not reflect reality, not even in the specialty coffee sector. In our society, coffee is consumed as a readily available, everyday commodity, yet it is rarely recognized as a complex commercial agribusiness.

To ensure stable and consistent quality year after year, significant financial investments—such as in advanced technology—are required, alongside specialized expertise.

The (annual) trip to El Salvador in February to taste and buy the new harvest, strengthen existing relationships and build new ones. It’s always a bit like coming home, as many business relationships have developed into friendships over the years.