San Jeronimo

About the Coffee

Nicholas Hammond inherited his family's Catalan de Las Mercedes farm in Guatemala's Chimaltenango region at a young age. With a degree in agricultural engineering, he's known for expert processing methods and separating each lot by variety - Pilot co-founder Andy Wilkin first met him judging at Cup of Excellence Guatemala and was immediately impressed.

San Jerónimo sits near the main Catalan farm, where banana trees shade the coffee plants and natural water springs feed the land. The lower altitude and unique microclimate create different flavor characteristics than the neighboring farm, and cherries undergo double fermentation (reposo) before drying at the Catalan mill.

Nicholas and his wife Angi run the Catalan Education Centre on the farm, allowing entire families to stay together during harvest season while their children attend school - Pilot funds all educational costs including teacher wages.

About Pilot

Andy Wilkin and Jessie Holmes started Pilot in 2009 as Te Aro Roasted in a converted car garage in Toronto's Leslieville, inspired by the cafes Andy knew from his hometown in Wellington, New Zealand. What began as a micro-roastery helping new cafe owners with equipment and training grew into a specialty coffee hub as Toronto's coffee scene emerged. By 2013, they rebranded to Pilot Coffee Roasters and now operate cafes across Toronto, Oakville, and Waterloo with wholesale partners coast to coast. Their direct trade approach focuses on long-term producer relationships built on quality, transparency, environmental responsibility, and fair wages - prioritizing partnership over transaction.

"I first visited Te Aro in 2012 - my friends on the east end of Toronto raved about the coffee, and it didn't disappoint. Later in my career, a trip to a Pilot cafe downtown had become a daily staple for me, and so it seems inevitable to include them in Stillwater's Coffee Club experience." 

- Dean, Director of Coffee