LULAZO #4

Calm before the storm, connecting pillars, celebrating experiments

Hey everybody, 

Here we are at the end of February and the precipice of the LULO “launch”. I’ve been sourcing coffees the LULO way - slowly, with intention and focus for the past five weeks. I’ve visited the farm of every coffee I’ll be serving over the next year or so (five farms).

I asked questions, learnt answers, shared feedback, shared food, shared laughs, and of course - tasted some delicious coffees. If you’ve been following LULO for a while, you’ll be familiar with the people and coffees that make up the entire menu. While those people won’t change, you’ll find their coffees will and that is a journey I am just elated to be taking you on.

Being back in Ottawa, you can rest assured that I am busy putting together the final touches on something of a relaunch of the brand. Nothing too wild, just some new bags, a cheeky little subscription service, and a LOT of new coffees. 

The coffee is arriving next week (all 2 tonnes of it!), new bags shortly after (here’s hoping), and lots of collabs are in tow for the spring/summer. As I’m putting all of this magic together, it’s not lost on me that all of this would not be possible without each and every one of my wholesale homies (you know who you are). They are without a doubt the lifeblood of LULO and it’s their dedication to quality coffee that allows me to work so directly with all of the pals on the other side of the value stream. 

As I endeavor to give shout-outs to each one of these local heroes, I thought I would start with one that truly provided the pot, soil and fertilizer for this LULO plant to grow. 

JD, Queen of the corner

Big-ups to my pal Jessie Duffy at Arlington Five, she’s been holding it down since day ONE. I met her at the on the tail end of my recovery and onset of the pandemic. She invited me and my single kilo roaster out of my parents garage and into a corner of her shop. Hard to make kind of stuff up, really.

Her commitment to quality, thoughtfully sourced products and community-based convictions manifest themselves in everything A5 does. She shows a side of hospitality rooted in genuine care for people both producing and consuming what she serves, and I could not think of a better pillar cafe to work with.

While I’m getting ready to launch these sweet new gems, we are taking the opportunity to share of some super small, experimental lots from the Liz-Andela family of El Pedregal in Tierradentro, Cauca. A handful of 2-4kg lots of old stock typicas, caturras, and bourbons will be available at A5. Natural processing, various types of fermentations, really unique coffees. If you’re in Ottawa, you can grab one of the few bags available next week (March ~5/6).

Now please enjoy a gratuitous amount of photos from El Pedregal and the Togoima reservation of the Nasa.

Togoima reservation nestled into the side of this stunning valley

Doña Ana (and Don Isidro) sharing a smile during a cupping

The view from their farm

Don Ervin showing how it’s done in the fields

Don Isidro, crunching the #s

L-R- Myself, Doña Ana, and Felipe Ramirez (of Coffeestylers)

Morning from the farm

Sunrise over the Paez river valley

Each bag is a window into the Liz-Andela farm during special moments of learning and growing never to be repeated and.Come to A5, celebrate coffee that’s Nasa indigenous grown, processed, and exported and small business all the way to your home. Need directions?

See ya there!

If you’re not in Ottawa and craving a bag of the Liz-Andela’s coffee, or from another producer I work with, fear not! A brand-spankin’ new menu is coming your way within a couple of weeks, barring any unforeseen delays.

By mid-March, you’ll have a number of choice coffees available through the webshop. Thank you so much for your patience, I’m stoked to be able to build this neat little supply chain through your support :)