1936 Espresso

About the Coffee

1936 Espresso brings together two naturals from opposite sides of the world. The Brazil side comes from Fazenda Serrado in Carmo de Minas, where the Pereira family grows Yellow Bourbon at 1,150-1,200 meters. The Ethiopia component comes from around 3,900 smallholder farmers in the Guji Highlands near Hambela, growing Ethiopian heirloom varieties at 2,200 meters on raised drying beds.

Both coffees are processed as naturals, meaning the cherries are dried whole with the fruit still on the bean. This method adds body and sweetness to the cup. The Brazilian Yellow Bourbon brings the chocolate and caramel base, while the high-altitude Ethiopian coffee at 2,200 meters adds the bright berry notes and orange acidity. Fernwood blends them at 70% Brazil to 30% Ethiopia, roasted to a medium level in the Northern Italian espresso style.

The blend is built for balanced longer pulls and performs well in milk. It produces consistent crema with a clean finish and rounded mouthfeel, designed to work across different espresso machines and brewing styles without requiring constant adjustment.

About Fernwood

Ben and Terra started Fernwood after leaving high-end restaurant kitchens in the Pacific Northwest. With a one-year-old son and a desire for a more grounded pace, they bought a café with a roaster in the back and started learning the coffee business from scratch. They brought the precision and attention to detail from their restaurant days, but left behind the late nights and intensity.

In 2006, they started putting café-quality coffee on grocery shelves when that wasn't common practice. They roasted in one-pound batches, did daily quality control, and refused to take warehouse shortcuts. The approach worked. Fernwood grew from local butcher shops to national grocers and mom-and-pop cafés, always keeping the roasting process close and relationships direct. The day their daughter Keiko was born, their first custom-printed bags arrived, marking the point where the business moved from startup to something built to last.

They still roast the same way, keeping batch sizes manageable and quality checks tight. Fernwood supplies everyone from trail hikers to home brewers, focusing on coffees that work in everyday life without requiring specialty equipment or technique.

"Fernwood is a roaster you'll see all over Reddit as being one of BC's best. I asked to try their coffee, and now I get what all the hype is about. I bought a few extra bags of Manos al Grano for my stash at home."

- Dean, Director of Coffee