The Cupping Table - By M-Cultivo

What does it actually take to build a sustainable, high-end coffee business around rare, unique, and auction-lot coffees? In this episode of the Cupping Table Podcast, hosted by M-Cultivo co-founder David Paparelli, we sit down with Paul Ross: two-time UK Barista Champion and founder of Special Guests Coffee. Paul shares a rare look behind the curtain at the financial, operational, and philosophy-...

Taiwan is one of specialty coffee's most surprising origins, and this October you can bid on its best lots. On October 28–29, the Taiwan Coffee Auction goes live on M-Cultivo. In this episode of The Cupping Table, M-Cultivo co-founder David Paparelli sits down with Leo Liu, Director of International Affairs at Taiwan Coffee Laboratory and coordinator of the Best of Taiwan Invitational. They discus...

What happens when the philosophy behind one of Panama's most celebrated coffee farms was never written down, only lived? In this episode of The Cupping Table, David Paparelli sits down with Noemi and Sophia of Longboard Specialty Coffee to talk about Wild Dynamics, the minimal-intervention philosophy their father Justin developed before passing away last year, and what it means to carry it for...

What does it actually take to turn a coffee-growing region into the most sought-after luxury coffee origin in the world? In this episode of The Cupping Table, David Paparelli sits down with Ricardo Koyner — a 30-year veteran of Panama's coffee industry — to unpack how Panama went from an overlooked producer to the home of record-breaking Geisha auctions. We cover the scandal that first reveale...

In this episode of The Cupping Table podcast, host David Paparelli sits down with Luis Alfredo, Quality Analyst at the world-renowned Cafe Granja La Esperanza (CGLE) in Colombia.  Luis shares how CGLE stays at the forefront of the specialty coffee industry through advanced microbiology, meticulous drying control, and innovative genetic development. Learn how CGLE reads natural micro-flora to dicta...

What makes a single bag of coffee worth tens of thousands of dollars? ☕️🇵🇦In this episode of the Cupping Table Podcast, host David Paparelli sits down with Wilford Lamastus Jr.—4th generation producer at the legendary Lamastus Family Estates (Elida, El Burro, and Luito Estates) in Boquete, Panama. Wilford shares the inner workings behind their upcoming "First Light" Auction, winning the washed ca...

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli catches up with Tamiru Tadesse, founder and CEO of Alo Coffee. Known for producing some of the most sought-after nano-lots in Ethiopia out of the Sidama region, Alo Coffee shocked the industry by breaking the record for the highest price ever paid for Ethiopian coffee at an astounding $1,739 per kilogram. Tamiru break...

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli sits down with Richard Hide, founder of Africa Coffee Connect and co-founder of The Best of Congo Cooperatives. With over two decades of on-the-ground experience in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Richard shares the gripping story behind a 20-year "overnight success story" in specialty coffee. From o...

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli is joined by fourth-generation Costa Rican coffee producer Enrique Navarro of Monte Copey.
They were pioneers in Costa Rica’s micro-mill revolution, and now Enrique is leading the charge into the next era of coffee: the Ultra-Specialty Nanolot Revolution. He pulls back the curtain on his highly anticipated Aurum Serie...

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli sits down with Michael Girma, CEO of Romina—one of Ethiopia’s highly diversified agribusiness and hospitality brands. Managing a massive supply chain that includes 25,000 smallholder farmers, 20 washing stations, 5 dry mills, and a dedicated export arm, Michael has an extraordinary perspective on what it takes to move...

Welcome back to the Cupping Table podcast! In this episode, host David Paparelli sits down with Endale Asfaw, the founder and managing director of Aroma Coffee Trading and Consultancy Services. With over 30 years of experience across Ethiopia's coffee value chain and a definitive background as a Senior Cupper and Technical Manager at the Coffee and Tea Authority's Coffee Quality & Insp...

Finca Sophia is one of the most high-demand, high-altitude coffee farms on the planet, growing elite Geisha varieties at over 2,000 meters in Nueva Suiza, Chiriqui, Panama. But this year, they are doing something completely unprecedented. In this episode of the Cupping Table Podcast, host David Paparelli sits down with Willem Boot and David Pohl to discuss their monumental decision to skip the leg...

There are limits to what is possible in Uganda—until you choose to push past them. In this live episode of The Cupping Table recorded at the London Coffee Festival, host David Paparelli sits down with Kenneth Barigye, the founder and Managing Director of Mountain Harvest. Kenneth shares how his team is challenging old stereotypes, bypassing volatile macro market pricing models, and establishing a...

Description: Ian Kissick is a titan in the specialty coffee world—holding the titles of 2023 UK Barista Champion and consecutive 2024 and 2025 Irish Barista Champion, alongside placing 6th in the world. But after 9 years at the peak of competitive coffee brewing, he is walking away.  In this episode of the Cupping Table podcast, M Cultivo co-founder David Paparelli sits down with Ian to unpack the...

What do you do when a century-old family legacy is on the absolute brink of collapse? That was the exact crossroads facing 4th-generation coffee producer Kenny Vidurrizaga and his brother Alex. In a single season, a devastating wave of leaf rust ("La Roya") ruthlessly wiped out 50% of his family’s coffee crops at Finca Santa Estella. With global market prices hitting historic lows and the farm dro...

In 2020, Diego Baraona faced an impossible choice: stay in Barcelona to start a new life or return to El Salvador to save a 5th-generation coffee legacy on the brink of collapse. When his father (known as the "King of Pacamara") passed away during the height of COVID-19, Diego inherited more than just a farm; he inherited a mountain of bank debt and a failing agricultural system dependen...

In this episode of The Cupping Table podcast, host David Paparelli sits down with Frederick Bejo, a visionary leader in the UAE coffee scene and co-founder of Archers and Benchmark Coffee. Fred, the 2023 UAE National Brewers Cup Champion, shares his fascinating journey from arriving in Dubai in 2012, back when the region had only one specialty roastery, to building a global reputation for sourcing...

In this episode of the Cupping Table Podcast, David Paparelli, co-founder of M-Cultivo, sits down with Abdulrahman (Abdul) Alosaimi, the former airline pilot turned founder of Toga. Abdulrahman reveals his specialty coffee story, which began with a life-changing drip coffee in Sydney back in 2014. We explore how he translated aviation's high-stakes culture into a coffee shop built from the gro...

In this episode of the Cupping Table, David Paparelli sits down with Emily McIntyre, co-founder of Swift Coffee Sourcing, to discuss the professional evolution of specialty coffee importing. Drawing on two decades of experience, Emily provides a factual account of the operational challenges inherent in the trade, including the closure of her previous venture, Catalyst Trade, after hitting a "...

Forget what you know about traditional coffee farming. At World of Coffee Dubai, David Paparelli (M-Cultivo) sits down with Kai Janson to discuss the "elevated" future of specialty coffee. While many producers are stuck in "tribal scarcity," Kai is pushing Janson Coffee into a new era of abundance through radical experimentation. We dive deep into Waved technology, a controvers...

Join us on the Cupping Table as we sit down with UAE National Barista Champion Frederick Ruben to uncover the fascinating journey of one of the industry's most innovative minds . In this episode, Ruben reveals the harrowing story of how he was scammed into moving to Dubai and how he climbed from a cafeteria worker to a world-class coffee specialist at Benchmark Coffee . We dive deep into the &...

In this special episode recorded live in Dubai, we sit down with two legends of the US coffee-growing scene: the late Jay Ruskey (Frinj Coffee, California) and Kraig Lee (Kona Farm Direct, Hawaii).From the first 47 "test" plants in Santa Barbara to breaking price records in Kona, Jay and Kraig share the evolution of an industry many thought could never exist. They dive deep into the tech...

In this episode of the Cupping Table podcast, David Paparelli sits down with Ben Carlson, co-founder of Long Miles, to discuss their 15-year journey of investing in Burundi coffee communities. Ben shares the harrowing reality of producing coffee in East Africa, from fighting off bandits armed with spears to navigating a coup d'etat while attempting to export specialty lots. They dive deep into...

In this panel discussion, David Paparelli, CEO of M-Cultivo, sits down with Rachel Peterson of Hacienda La Esmeralda and Jeferson Santos of Daterra Coffee to explore how their estates have fundamentally reshaped the global specialty coffee industry. The conversation delves into the evolution of private coffee auctions, moving from simple price discovery to sophisticated platforms for brand storyte...

In this episode of The Cupping Table, David Paparelli sits down with Roland Glew, the green coffee buyer at Ozone Coffee, to explore the intricate realities of global coffee sourcing. Roland shares deep insights from his travels to origins like Peru, Malawi, and Costa Rica, emphasizing how infrastructure and individual expertise can make or break the quality of a harvest and the reputation of a co...