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ferris coffee

Ferris Coffee & Nut Co. headquartered in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan, is a 95 year old family-owned business.  They offer a wide range of coffees, roasted nuts, dried fruits and more.  Their coffee is served in several restaurants and sold in grocery stores and cafes.  

In recent years Ferris has opened it's own cafes in and around the Grand Rapids area.  Their cafe spaces have a clean, modern look and they serve a full range of espresso, tea, coffee, and baked goods.  I've visited their cafe and roastery in downtown Grand Rapids, and spent many hours in their newer cafe in nearby Holland, Michigan.  

A clean, bright, modern space in downtown Holland. Note the Poursteady pour over machine. Fun to watch!
Ferris Holland - Indeed, there is no 'X' in espresso

I have several favorite coffees among their offerings.  I'll start with one of the newest additions to their lineup, Guatelmala el Vergel Organic.  I'm having a V60 pour over of it as I type this.  (Delicious!) 


This is a certified organic coffee produced in partnership with the International Women's Coffee Alliance (IWCA).  (Read more about the IWCA's work by following the link at the end of this article.)  

If you've been following this site for a while, you may have noticed that I love coffees from Guatemala.  This one is no different in that respect.  It's roasted dark with mild acidity, and notes of molasses, caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted marshmallow.  Many coffees I come across from Guatemala are medium or light-medium roast.  This one being dark roasted gives it a nice edge, but it's not bitter at all.  It's very smooth, which is one of the characteristics I like most about coffees from Guatemala.

The el Vergel farm is on 121 acres in the Sierra Madre mountain range in San Marcos.  There are a few pictures of the area on Ferris Coffee's blog.  It's a beautiful landscape, and you can even visit and stay on the farm!  Visit the link at the end of this article to the Ferris blog post about this coffee and the farm it comes from.

Another favorite is their French Roast Colombian.  It has an oak-y, dark chocolate sweetness.  It doesn't have as much of the smoky, burnt marshmallow flavor as some French roasts, and I liked that about it.  That's great in some French roasts, but this particular coffee is more unique without so much of that.  

Ferris Single Origin French Roast Colombia

Ferris offers several great blends as well.  My all around favorite coffee they offer is the West Coast Blend.  It consists of 70% Brazil Cerrado and 30% Costa Rica Montanas del Diamante.  It's a very satisfying coffee that will please just about everyone, with notes of chocolate and nut.  Nothing too exotic or divisive here.  Just a great coffee flavor, good for any time of the day.  Check it out right here.

Nice latte art at Ferris Coffee Holland!

Along with the Guatemala el Vergel I ordered a bag of their Cold Brew Blend to try.  This blend consists of Brazil, Guatemala, and Nicaraguan beans.  It's a medium roast, creamy and chocolatey with very mild acidity.  Perfect for cold brew but works as a perfectly good hot brew too.

Ferris has a great commitment to sustainable practices throughout their supply chain.  Take a moment to peruse their page on sustainability to see for yourself.  (Link at the end of this article.) Their sustainability statement sums up their approach:

"We depend on the planet's people and its resources for the success and growth of our company.  For these reasons, and simply because it's the right thing to do, we make sustainability a priority.  We strive for constant improvement through the stewardship of our resources, our ecological impact, and positive engagement with our community." 

-Ferris Coffee Sustainability Statement

They are careful about which farms they work with, prioritizing farms that have good conservation practices:

"Big things we look for are water re-use or conservation, and integrating natural means of shade and compost.  A great example of what we look for is with our Brazil Primavera.  This farm is consistently in the running for most sustainable farm in Brazil." 

-Ferris Sustainability Website

Browse their website and online store for more information on the company, and to shop for coffee, nuts, dried fruits, gift bundles, and coffee equipment.  They have several more coffees I'm a huge fan of, but this would be a long piece if I mentioned them all!  If you find yourself in the Grand Rapids, MI area make sure you stop in to one of their cafes!

Links mentioned in this article

1.)  International Women's Coffee Alliance

2.) Cafe Femenino

3.) Ferris Blog Post on Origins of El Vergel Coffee

4.) Ferris Coffee Cupping in Guatemala and San Miguel Mill

5.) El Vergel Farm Information and Pictures - Really nice page I found with great pictures, including the beautiful waterfall that runs through the farm!  (Towards the end of the article are some interesting bits about the organic, sustainable practices El Vergel Farm uses.  Really neat stuff!)

6.) Ferris Coffee & Nut Co. Online Shop

7.) Poursteady Automated Pour-over Machines