This decaf coffee is sourced from smallholder farmers in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. The cherries are picked at optimal ripeness and processed as parchment, sun-dried to under twelve percent moisture content. The coffee is decaffeinated using the ethyl-acetate process, commonly known as the sugarcane process, which involves soaking and washing the green beans in an ethyl acetate solution to remove caffeine.
Old Spike Roastery was founded in 2014 by Richard Robinson and Cemel Ezel in Peckham, South London, as what they describe as the first specialty coffee roaster to operate as a social enterprise. Sixty five percent of profits fund their mission to reduce homelessness through training, employment, and ongoing support. The roastery runs a barista training academy at its Loughborough Junction site, and their first employee, Lucy, was hired from a Big Issue position. They roast on a traditional machine named Torberg, working with direct trade, specialty grade Arabica. The operation is carbon neutral, with recyclable or compostable packaging and a partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects that plants a tree for every bag sold.
