The Foxhole

As we enter Q3 2026, the sourcing landscape presents complexity upon complexity as we’ve come to expect. The C market is down, fuel costs are up, & FOB prices at origin are holding their ground. We’re keeping a tight watch on all things logistical as we move into sourcing in the southern hemisphere for the fall & winter months.  Listen for the scoop on logistics, the C market, & every...

Welcome to Q2 of 2026. As geopolitical tensions increase, logistics grow more complex & expensive even as the C market eases up, unmatched by local prices for premium coffee in our sourcing regions. Meanwhile, our Ethiopia coffees are afloat & better than ever, Mexico lots are trucking overland, Kenyan lots are making landfall, & we’re working hard to stay ahead of the chaos & buff...

Welcome to Q1 of 2026. We’re currently on the ground in Ethiopia, Mexico, & Kenya sourcing coffee for the coming months, as final Peru containers go afloat from a challenging yet productive season. The C market has tentatively sustained something more level than we’ve seen in recent quarters, shipments are starting to plan routes through the Suez again, all origins are currently relieved from...

Welcome to the final quarter of 2025. As the industry continues to absorb shocks from tariffs & a high & volatile C market, our first southern hemisphere coffees are beginning to land while the rest make their way to the States. The closest we’ve come to a new normal seems to be constant vigilance & flexibility, so that’s our play—but there’s much to be excited about, including our ent...

As we enter the second half of 2025, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected & prepare accordingly. Logistics remain complicated by geopolitical uncertainty, the historically high C market shows strong signs of letting up, coffees are flying out of the warehouse as fast as we can stock them, & we’re prepping heavily for strong seasons in our southern hemisphere origins.  Listen for the scoo...

We would love a boring quarter, but that’s not the outlook that Q2 2025 is bringing.  As an uncertain tariff landscape piles onto an already high C market & a world plagued by uncertainty & geopolitical unrest, we’re focusing on building stability where we can.  We’re moving decisively, getting into & out of origin quickly, & moving coffees as swiftly as we can—a strategy that has...

As we close out a complex quarter in a complex year & head into Q1 of 2025, we’re looking forward to the early shipment & arrival of gorgeous East Africa origins amidst a continuously changing & challenging pricing & logistics landscape. Our strategy remains: a sharp focus on adding value everywhere we can, tight logistics, & constant communication.  Listen for a deep dive into...

Welcome to Q4 2024. As Q3 wrapped, its ending was marked by volatility & uncertainty in the C market brought on by climate strife & new impending regulations, origin pricing challenges brought on by the volatile C market, & complex logistics landscapes brought on by a major strike among other preexisting factors. The moment is hectic although some of these issues show potential for pos...

Hello from Q3 2024. Mexico & Ethiopia coffees are landing as we head into Peru, Rwanda, & Bolivia seasons. On the logistics side, the ongoing challenges that we’ve reported for the last 2 quarters show no sign of easing. The C market is up although it hasn't created the same ripple-out dynamics we saw in the early 2020s. Read on for details on what the quarter has in store, from logist...

Welcome to Q2 2024. While logistics are very much the squeaky wheel this quarter, we’re also glad to have coffees on the water making their way to the US from Kenya & Ethiopia, with Mexico following overland soon. Stay tuned for details on what the quarter has in store, from logistics to a surprisingly stable C market to each & every origin in which we work.

Welcome to Q1 of 2024. As we bring in the last of our Peru & launch into Ethiopia, Mexico, & Kenya seasons, we also see logistical shocks due to both war & weather buoying the C market, while coffee stocks at origin remain high. On our end, we’re confident & ready to bring in all the first fruits of the origins we know and love, as well as a couple new ventures. For details on all...

Here we are in the final quarter of 2023, & things are looking relatively stable for a change—or at least as close as we’ve gotten in a few years. On top of stabilizing logistics & the C market, Peru containers have started landing with Colombia & Rwanda close behind. Listen for details on the state of logistics, the C market, & every country in which we work.

As we enter Q3, the C market is down with further drops possible on the horizon, while its volatility continues to create complexity. Local prices that have been elevated for years are now beginning to follow suit as the all-important Peru season concretizes, but again, volatility plays a key role. Our warehouses are flush with the latest & greatest as well as a diversity of prime lots from th...

As we head into the second quarter of 2023, many threads from the beginning of the year remain. Logistics continue normalizing but are still tangled in various ways & regions—not quite returned to pre-disruption but overall, trending positively. The C market tentatively remains more stable, while differentials in our actual sourcing relationships remain largely untethered to it. Mexico season...

As we wrap Peru acquisition & shipping season, begin Ethiopia procurement, & prep the lab in Mexico, we’re seeing some distinct trends continue from 2022. For one, logistics challenges including prices & availability have continued to ease, although the situation is still more complex & expensive than it was pre-2020/21. Another key trend, which we noted in our last update & wh...

As we enter the final quarter of the year, logistics issues & price volatility persist & staying the course while remaining agile is the name of the game. The story of this particular moment seems to be that even when the C market dips—it’s notably both high & volatile as it’s been all year—local prices, especially for top-tier quality, remain astronomical. Solid relationships & co...

Red Fox Coffee Merchants Q3 2022 Origin & Shipping Update

Red Fox Coffee Merchants Q2 2022 Origin & Shipping Update

Red Fox Coffee Merchants Q1 2022 Origin & Shipping Update

Hello friends, coming to you with our final quarterly origin and shipment update of the year as we enter the home stretch of 2021. This report will cover some broad strokes and some details in all the origins in which we work, whether their coffee is on the water, heading to the mill, in harvest, or still looking towards its next flowering.

In this episode we are joined by special guest Casimiro García López and his son Omar of Pluma de Oaxaca. A second generation coffee farmer, Casimiro and his wife Reyna Petronila Luna farm 20 hectares (an unusually large farm for Pluma region) just outside San Agustin Loxicha, a community growing both coffee famous for its malic character and avocados. Casimiro's older children support in both far...

Join Ali and Aleco for a conversation in the Foxhole​ with Prudencio of Valle Inca association in Cusco. The widely respected leader of one of our most key relationships in all of Peru, Prudencio (Jose Prudencio Saenz Vargas) is a Calca native who brings former experience as a bank loan officer to his work running Valle Inca—fiscal experience of critical importance to Valle Inca and the surroundin...

In this episode we host a conversation between Veracruz-based producer, wet mill manager and community leader Ernesto Perez and Red Fox Mexico sourcing and sales lead Adam McClellan. After Ernesto takes off, Adam and Aleco give us the rundown on the season thus far.  A younger farmer taking over the family farm and mill, he's working to guide community production into high quality specialty,...

In this episode we had a conversation with Esperanza Dionisio, leader of the Pangoa cooperative in Peru's Selva Central and first ever woman cooperative leader in Peru. We discussed Esperanza's unique position in the Peru coffee world, the singular history of Pangoa, and the impacts of Covid-19 on the most recent harvest and shipping season. Esperanza is an incredible speaker and a powerful voice...

Eden Kassahun is one of Red Fox's most integral supply chain partners and has been since we opened in the business in 2014. Eden and Aleco's history together goes back to her days at Technoserve where they first met in 2009. Eden helps us manage our supply partnerships with Kata Muduga, Kerchanshe, and Kedir Jebril. Her role couldn't be more critical to our success in executing early shipments as...