DOMA’s Partnership with Catalyst Trade

Catalyst Trade is a coffee importing business that resonated with us right from the start. They’re out to make a mark on the global coffee industry by creating more equitable profit distribution and a higher quality of life for those who work in coffee. Catalyst is Ethiopian-American owned, woman-led, and devoted to equality.They source amazing Ethiopia coffees with special attention to sustainability. We met with them in their Portland offices to cup coffee and were so impressed that we chose some coffee for our most popular blends, like Ruby’s. We also flagged some single origin offerings and three special limited editions for the season. The Ethiopia Uchoro is the first of these limited editions to arrive in the U.S. This coffee is a great example of a washed Ethiopia, with floral, citrus, and chocolate notes that can be showcased with different brew methods. 

The first spark to start change is understanding, and Catalyst does this by sharing information about each coffee’s region with their buyers. The region of Uchoro, for example, is known for being hilly; it’s a hard place to haul out coffee. Farmerstend very small coffee plots, and only about five percent of the population has access to clean drinking water. The soil is a fertile red/brown clay, though, and the forested hills create a beautiful coffee environment.Coffee cherries purchased by the washing station are combined, resulting in a mix of landrace varieties that creates a complex flavor profile.