Wholesale FAQ

Where are you located?

The Endiro family spans across Uganda, from our farmers in Bukalasi to our 11 cafe locations throughout the country. Our USA presence is much more compact, with one cafe and our roastery both in downtown Aurora, Illinois. For a full list of locations, check this out!

What roasts/blends do you offer?

Based solely on the temperature to which we roast our beans + their color + the level of oil sheen, we could call our roast a medium roast. Here is why we don’t like to do that, and why you won’t see it on our packaging:

The standard “light/medium/dark” roast metric, while a useful tool for recording external qualities like sheen and color, doesn’t convey the philosophy behind how and why we roast: we strive to cultivate and highlight the unique profile that our beans inherently possess due to their origin and our careful farming practices.

When we talk about a “medium roast,” we are only naming a range of color and amount of oil on the outside of the bean. These qualities might have some general correlations with certain aromas and flavor notes, but these correlations are imprecise and there will always be exceptions. For one bean, a higher temperature, a darker color, and more sheen might correspond to a perfectly balanced flavor profile. In another bean, it might just taste burnt. On the other hand, a light roast for one bean might result in too much acidity (and a stomach ache!), while for another bean that same light roast will result in delicate fruit notes.

This is all to say that, essentially, there is no such thing as a better or worse roast; there are only better or worse roasts for particular beans from distinct origins.

So instead of asking the question, “what roast is this,” we like to ask, “what profile did this roast bring out of these beans?”

What is the flavor profile of your coffee?

For our typical roast, our coffee is medium bodied, has a mild acidity, and a sweet, fruity finish. The flavor notes include dried cranberries, walnuts, and all-spice.

Do you have a recommended brew method?

Our coffee has a lot of versatility and is delicious when brewed using any of the usual methods! At our coffee shops in Uganda and Aurora, we offer espresso and house (drip) coffees, as well as hand-craft methods including pour-over, aeropress, french press, and jerrycan cold brew.

Many of us at the roastery prefer our coffee brewed with the pour-over and aeropress methods, as these give you the control to bring out more of our delicate, fruity notes.

Where is your coffee from?

This is a very important question to us at Endiro. All our coffee is grown in the village of Bukalasi in Uganda’s Mt. Elgon range. The women in the Endiro farming cooperative practice sustainable and organic farming methods, and because of their high standards of craftsmanship, they make the highest wages of any coffee farmers in Uganda. We partner with these farmers directly, and their work is changing their world: these women have built schools, cultivated financial and familial stability, and secured a future of promise and opportunity for their children.

What does tree-to-cup mean?

Tree-to-cup, synonymous with the phrases “farm-to-cup,” “crop-to-cup,” “seed-to-cup,” or “direct trade,” refers to the integrated structure of our company. We oversee every part of our coffee production, working directly with our farmers during the growing and harvesting processes, brewing and serving this coffee in our cafes all over Uganda, exporting/importing the coffee from Uganda/to the United States, roasting and packaging the coffee at our roastery in Aurora, IL, and serving customers in the US at our shop in Aurora. We are able to ensure that at every link in our supply chain, people and planet are being treated ethically and impacted positively.

Is Endiro coffee organic/sustainably farmed?

Yes! While we are not certified by the USDA, our coffee is all organically farmed, and we practice sustainable farming methods.

The words “organic” and “sustainable” are thrown around a lot, so here are some examples of what we mean when we make this claim: We don’t use any synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Instead, we make our own fertilizer from sustainable materials such as coffee cherry pulp and manure. We also make a spray with a locally known practice of fermenting mexican sunflower, peri-peri chili peppers, and ashes. This spray is high in phosphates and great for the soil (and hence, the coffee trees!) Our farmers care for their land holistically with correct spacing of trees, intercropping with indigenous species of flora and fauna, bee-keeping, and allowing live-stock to graze. This results in healthy trees and delicious, naturally shade-grown coffee.

We also use gravitational water, waterfalls, rainwater-collection tanks, and springs to source our water. No electricity is involved in our farming or harvesting processes, and any electricity at the farms comes from solar panels.

Is Endiro coffee fair trade?

Endiro Coffee is “better than fair trade,” meaning that we go beyond the minimum requirements of Fair Trade Certification. However, you’ll notice that our packaging says “Sustainably Sourced” and not “Fair Trade Certified.” While we are committed to meeting and surpassing the criteria of various single-issue certifying bodies such as Fair Trade Certification, Certified Organic, Rainforest Alliance, and Smithsonian Bird-Friendly, when it comes to actual certification, we decided to pursue a more rigorous, complex and holistic certification process known as Certified B Corp, which takes into account all these issues and more.

What is B Corp Certification

This 360-degree evaluation looks at every aspect of our business from tree to cup. It took two full years to complete the process of earning our certification, which involved everything from ensuring that our farmers were justly paid (we currently exceed the Fair Trade "floor price"), that our coffee was grown 100% in organic and sustainable ways, that the pay difference between the highest and lowest paid employees of the company is not more than 10x, and hundreds of other issues. B Corp also certifies us as majority black and woman-owned.

It’s important to note that by "certified," we don’t mean they just take our word on these issues. We have to provide documentation and photographic evidence for everything. As an example, we were required to provide photos of all of our solar panels to prove that we used 100% renewable energy in the farms, as well as photos of natural springs, rain collection tanks, and gravitational water sources to demonstrate that all the water we used in the farms was sustainable.

As a part of our B Corp life, we have taken up the challenge, along with hundreds of other B Corps, to be verified carbon neutral by 2030.

To learn more about B Corp certification and discover some of our fellow B Corps, check this out!

How freshly roasted is your coffee?

In Aurora, we roast to order for all online and wholesale orders, so we usually are able to roast, package, and ship all within the same day.

The freshness date printed on the bottom of the bag is exactly nine months after the date the coffee was roasted.

What is your wholesale pricing?

For our clients in the US: We offer discounted rates for bulk packagaing (1 kg) and retail packaging (300 g) of our whole bean coffee.

Tax (when applicable) is not included in this pricing, and shipping fees apply (see the next question!)

How do I place an order?

To place a wholesale order, simply fill out our online wholesale form! This form makes its way to various members of our team, but in the case of North American wholesale requests, you’ll hear back from Claire at the Aurora roastery, who will help you through the rest of the process.

To place an online order, simply visit our online shop here!

How does shipping work?

We do our best to package and ship your coffee in the way that impacts the environment the least and saves you the most! Shipping fees apply (itemized on your invoice), but they vary from order to order since we always try to find you the cheapest option. While we don’t have a set carrier, we do let you know when your order ships and send you a tracking number so you can watch out for it. If you are local, you are welcome to skip shipping altogether and pick up your coffee directly from our roastery in Aurora!

Do you deliver for local businesses?

We don’t currently offer delivery, but we do work hard to keep your shipping costs down. You can also pick your coffee up at our roastery in Aurora. We love visitors!

What is your turnover time for orders?

Depending on your coffee needs, turnover time can vary from 1-7 days for processing, and 1-10 days for shipping. Most of our clients receive their coffee about a week after placing their order, but we’ve also had customers order and receive coffee on the same day!

How does payment work?

We invoice via Quickbooks, which gives you the convenient option of paying by card online. We also accept check or card payment in person at the roastery, mailed checks, or payment by card over the phone.