25 Years of Atlas
In September 1998, Atlas Coffee Importers opened its doors, becoming the first full-service specialty importer in Seattle, the undisputed coffee capital of the US at the time. After starting his career leading expeditions around the globe and realizing the potential of coffee to bring the world closer, co-founder Craig Holt worked first for an Olympia-based […]
GrainPro and Neumann Gruppe USA Introduce Recycling Collaboration
GrainPro and Neumann Gruppe USA are thrilled to introduce a special collaboration aimed at achieving a more sustainable green coffee industry. Effective immediately, green coffee buyers have the option to participate in recycling GrainPro hermetic bags, TranSafeliners and other liners used in the chemical-free preservation of premium coffee beans. This important work is also being made possible […]
Two Paths Diverge: Fairtrade International and Fair Trade USA offer different Minimum Pricing as of August 1, 2023
First, a terminology lesson: “ Fairtrade” (one word) refers to Fairtrade International (FLO) / Fairtrade America. “Fair Trade” (two words) and “Fair Trade Certified” refer to Fair Trade USA (FT USA). “Fair trade” or “fair trade” refers to general fair-trade bodies and practices, but not a specific organization. Until recently the two programs shared very […]
Atlas Actions for Racial Justice
Originally published on 6/26/20. We use this space to provide updates about the follow-up to our commitments made in June 2020. Please read our complete statement here. We understand that our words are only as valuable as our actions. Therefore, we intend to make substantive changes in our behavior, our practices, and how we support […]
Shipping Delays Across the Country and Temporary USF Alternative for Shipments from The Green Room
A widespread winter storm is is disrupting travel and power across the U.S. The storm, stretching from Texas to New England has brought freezing rain and more than a foot of snow to a wide swath of the country. Drivers are reporting the conditions are treacherous. Freight will be impacted by system-wide delays as a […]
Top Ten Holiday Coffees: Atlas Winter Arrivals
This year has flown by, and somehow, it is already November and the holidays are here! So, suppose you are still planning your featured seasonal coffees to showcase, preparing to launch your Holiday Blends or want to add another showstopper to your winter lineup. In that case, we’re here for you with recommendations of fresh […]
Mount Nyiragongo Volcano Erupts in Eastern DR Congo
On Saturday, May 22nd, Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world’s most active and deadly volcanoes, erupted, triggering panic in the nearby city of Goma (official population 670,000; actual population ~2 million). The lava flows reached the northern end of the city, stopping just short of the Goma airport but destroying 17 villages and over 1,000 houses […]
Myanmar Update, May 2021
We continue to remain in regular contact with our partners in Myanmar. Even while the military junta continues and violence and tensions escalate, the economy has started to move again, albeit more difficultly and expensively. For example, banks are partially opening – enough to enable people to access their savings; shippers are operating, but with […]
A New Era for Specialty Coffee in Myanmar (Post 2 of 2)
We just returned from a visit to our partners in Myanmar! See our first Post 1 here and read on for Post 2. We started off our visit in Ywangan with Su Su Aung, owner of Amayar wet and dry mill, and visited two of the communities she works with, Nwa Pan Kyi and Nyaung […]
Indonesia Trip Report 2019
Indonesia is the largest island country, and the fourth largest coffee producing country in the world. The hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups make it incredibly diverse, and each island can sometimes feel like its own country. In October/November of 2019, we spent a few weeks visiting our producer partners (both old and […]