Specialty Coffee We have the great privilege of using only Lao grown beans from the Bolaven Plateau in the south, a fertile, high elevation volcanic plateau perfect for specialty grade coffee. All of our coffee beans come from elevations between 1000m and 1300m.
We source our coffee beans from farmers that makes a pure Arabica Typica coffee - a coffee variety that dates back to the 1850's botanical gardens established by French colonists in Vietnam. This ancient varietal is difficult to grow and produces a small harvest, but has a uniquely elegant and smooth cupping quality.
We work directly with farmers and farmer groups to insure that the beans are processed according to specialty coffee standards - ripe, fresh cherries, disciplined processing and professional grading and sorting. We sample all of our beans before we buy them to assure quality and consistency, and for the best beans, we pay the highest prices in Laos.
Artisanal Roasting We roast our coffee in small batches to monitor quality and customize our roasts and blends. Our varied inventory of beans reflects the diversity of processing styles, altitude of the trees and type of coffee bean. We have a choice of among 20 different beans, from a wet process Arabica Typica grown at 1300m, to a natural process Arabica Catimore grown at 1000m.
We are also the only roaster in Laos and one of the few in the world that offers a high elevation wet process Robusta alone and in blends. This coffee bean has a uniquely smooth and powerful body and sweetness.
Fair Trade/Organic Lao Mountain Coffee is in the process of applying for both organic and Fair Trade certification as a roaster. We are a new member of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). We expect to receive our certification in 2011. Organic certification is scheduled to be concluded at the same time. We only purchase our green beans for roasting from villages that are Fair Trade certified. Over the years we have developed a close, family type relationship with a specific set of farmer villages. Several of these villages will soon be part of our 'producer' group that conclude our Fair Trade certification. Once certification is complete all our coffee will carry the WFTO logo on the bag. The same follows for the Organic certification process.
The Partnership
Steve Feldschneider, Partner, Founder and Roast Master
Steve started Lao Mountain Coffee in 2001 with a simple, locally made roaster working out of his home. He has dedicated the last several years to the art of roasting coffee and building one of SE Asia's premier coffee businesses.
Ketamphone Feldschneider
Ket is the Vientiane office manager and Lao employee and business account liaison. She has spent the last several years managing domestic operations and building a strong Laos account network.