Brandywine Coffee Roasters is located in the Brandywine Valley in Wilmington, DE, which is known for its rich illustration history going back to the 1800s. Brandywine gives a nod to these roots with fan and unique artwork for each of their coffees along with a more old-school wax seal. The juxtaposition of these makes Brandywine’s coffee bags some of the most unique I’ve ever seen, making them almost a center-piece in my kitchen.

The types of coffee Brandywine likes to roast are straight-forward: they love the flavor-packed natural coffees. Like many of us, Brandywine feels these often fruit-forward coffees are a great gateway to specialty coffee. Natural coffees – also called unwashed coffees – are coffees that have had the fruit removed from the coffee bean over time via a passive drying, rather than via a washing method. This allows the coffee fruit to contribute some unique flavors to the coffee.

Though Brandywine is quite new and quite small, they have always been conscious of the coffee producers from who they source their coffee.

“We focus on transparency in sourcing, from seed to cup, the country it’s from, the farm, and the goal of the farmer.  We pay the premium to ensure that farmers are adequately compensated for their efforts, and we take care to source green coffee that is processed according to responsible social, economic, and environmental standards.”

From the Brandywine website

For small roasters, direct trade can be difficult. Finding farmers with quality crops and dealing with the logistics of importing can make the process a huge undertaking. Brandywine has recently started up their first direct trade relationship, and we’re excited to see where it takes them!