Costa Rica - Diego Robelo - Centroamericano Anaerobic Natural

Paso Paso launched in September 2023 as something genuinely rare in the specialty coffee world: a roastery where the farmers themselves are majority shareholders. Bram de Hoog, formerly a sourcing director at Ally Coffee, co founded the business with five coffee farming partners from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua, all of whom participate in monthly decision making. Registered in Hannover as Istmo Producers Collective GmbH, they took over an existing roastery and its Giesen roaster, with the previous owner Thomas Brinkmann retaining shares and running a coffee school in the same building. The team roasts light to medium profiles designed to let the natural character of each origin come through, an approach that earned them the SCA Best Branding Award in Copenhagen. Paso Paso's six coffee offerings, including single origins and their Cafe de la Casa blend, represent a model where the people who grow the coffee also shape how it reaches the cup.