Blog

Learn about the origins and process of our organic, Fair Trade cane sugar. The story of cane sugar touches two communities.   In Huila, sugar cane farmers have come together to setup a processing facility for their cane juice. Fresh, organic, whole stalks of cane are pressed and the juice goes through stages of boiling and evaporation to produce the delicious granules of sugar. 

At Level Ground, we work hard to reduce our impact, near and far. For those familiar with Level Ground’s products and practices, it is our green focus which is evident in two of our Core Values: Love the Planet and Always Improve. This started in our sourcing of sustainably produced coffee and continually shows up in our company DNA as we are always improving how we love the planet through various projects.  First, a few of our ongoing initiatives and then our BIG MOVE that has most radically demonstrated our commitment as environmental stewards and sustainability leaders. 1. 18 years with a ‘landfill-free’...

Yuliana is a coffee farmer that belongs to the Kagara Co-operative Union (KCU) near Lake Victoria, in northwest Tanzania. The KCU has over 45,000 members but only 6,000 grow organic, Arabica coffee and Yuliana is one of those 6,000! Yuliana has a 2.5 acreage with 450 Arabica coffee trees. She also grows maize, beans, bananas, yams and cassava on her land.  With the income from her coffee and product plots, she has been able to provide for her children and grandchildren. She sent her children to university, built a house with electricity, improved her farm and established a livestock project....

Biira grows organic coffee at her farm 1,200 metres above sea level in Kamughobe, Kisinga in western Uganda, a coffee that is new to Level Ground. She joined the Bukonzo Organic Farmers Co-operative (BOCU) and got certified in good agronomical practices (GAPS), alongside her Fair Trade certification. Through BOCU, she has attended various training sessions, seminars and travelled to learn about better farm management and agricultural standards.

An agronomist is an expert in the science of soil and soil management. Why is this so important for the coffee industry? Specific conditions are required for growing healthy coffee such as climate, elevation and soil. Agronomists study soil quality to better understand and gather information on current and future coffee harvests. Without agronomists, coffee (and many other crops) wouldn't be what they are.

In general, there are two compositions of coffee: single origin and blends. Neither is better or worse than the other (depending on who you ask) but some roasters pride themselves on being Single Origin. Single origin coffee typically is sourced from one origin. This can be defined as specific as a single producer, from a certain region, a particular variety or as widely as an entire country. Coffee blends are a combination of multiple single origins from numerous sources. Blending coffees can create additional layers and depths to coffee when using complimentary flavours. Some of Level Ground’s favourite coffees are...

Specialty coffee is a common term in the coffee industry and one that the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) was built around. Specialty coffee is  not referring to a ‘special coffee drink’. Rather, this term is about the quality and the grading level that is tested and rated by the SCA standards.