From Costa Rica to Sheffield: A special visit from our coffee producer partners Roberto and Doris Mata

Time seems to fly here at Cafeology and Roastology and we can't believe it's been a week since we waved farewell to our Costa Rican producer partners Roberto and Doris Mata.

We have had a relationship with Roberto since Bryan visited his farm in that Tarrazú region of Costa Rica 2008. During the last 16 years, members of our team have visited Roberto's farm on numerous occasions and we have had the pleasure to host him here too.

This has led to us being able to commit to purchasing one fifth of Roberto's annual crop, which we are now in a position to import directly. This gives security and stability to Roberto's operations and means we can give our customers transparency, traceability and consistency on this special coffee.

Once we knew Roberto and Doris's trip to visit us was booked we set about planning a packed itinerary for them - they were probably glad of a rest on their flight home!

DAY 1: FRIDAY 25TH OCTOBER

We (Bryan and Toni) were up bright and early to head over the Peaks to Manchester to visit the University of Manchester campus.

We met with Alison Shedlock, the University's director of campus services and went straight to Hulme Hall for breakfast, which was kindly arranged by Emma Stansfield, the head of residences' catering and bars. This gave the opportunity for our producers to mix with students – some of whom were still in their pyjamas! It was great to be able to chat with some of them and introduce them to Roberto and Doris.

We then took a steady stroll up to the Whitworth Art Gallery. Joined by Jonathan Minshull, head of hospitality on campus, and Laura Blandy, head of hospitality and events marketing, we toured many of the fabulous sites around the campus including Christie’s Bistro and the amazing Whitworth Hall. We then joined Jonathan’s colleague Adam Woof at the Manchester Museum.

Next stop was the Royal Northern College of Music, where we met Jose Martinez, their food and beverage manager - finally, someone Doris could have a good natter with outside of our attempts at speaking Spanish! It was a special visit for us all as we got to see the large hall set for an orchestral performance, as well as touring the recital rooms.

Next, we hopped in the car and drove to Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where we met with Lisa Haskins, the catering and hospitality manager and Matt Wagstaff. It was sadly a day of thick, unending fog, but this gave an atmospheric, misty murkiness to our trip. We made the best of things with a tour of the underground gallery, viewing an exhibition by Bharti Kher called Alchemies, which celebrates diversity, discovery and personal identity, before being treated to a delicious afternoon tea – after all, it can’t all be coffee.

Knowing the Matas would be ready for some rest and relaxation, we finished the day with traditional British fish and chips at Sheffield's Norfolk Arms pub, where we introduced Roberto and Doris to owner Mike. Biggest surprise of the day? Roberto fell in love with tartare sauce! So much so that we bought him a jar to take home to Costa Rica.

Last stop of the night was Halifax Hall, where we left our guests to check in and get a good night's sleep ready for round two!

DAY 2: SATURDAY 26TH OCTOBER

There was collective excitement for farmer Roberto and green-fingered Toni on Saturday as our first stop was Chatsworth House hosted by Jack Boughey, their catering operations manager, who introduced us to head gardener Mick Brown.

Roberto and Mick chatted about soil, nutrients, growing methods and more and we got to see inside the estate's private greenhouses, where they grow 450 bunches of Muscat grapes every year. Did you also know that almost every banana consumed in the Western world is descended from a plant grown at Chatsworth over 180 years ago? Fascinating!

We then walked right up along the back of the gardens to see the ornamental garden with a view down into the Chatsworth estate, before heading for lunch in the stunning Carriages restaurant.

The tour of Chatsworth House in afternoon was awe-inspiring for all and we could have lingered longer - had it not been for our desire to visit Chatsworth Farm Shop to stock up on fresh veggies and treats for Sunday dinner later in the weekend (as well as the aforementioned jar of tartare sauce).

Our final stop for day two was The George at Hathersage, where Roberto and Doris settled into their room, tucked into pizza and put their feet up.

DAY 3: SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER

Sunday was a more relaxed affair, beginning with coffee at Coleman's Deli in Hathersage and a slice of Bakewell Tart - a great way to start the day!

We then went up to Firs Farm Shop on Ringinglow Road here in Sheffield to see Jim and Angela Battye to buy some of their fantastic beef and introduce two very different kinds of farmers to each other, before meeting some family, friends and colleagues at The Dore Bar & Grill for some sociable drinks and nibbles.

After heading home we popped the beef on BBQ and Toni set about enlisting Doris to create some British classic accompaniments - think cheese sauce and Yorkshire puddings!

We spent the end of this heartwarming day watching Simon Reeve's TV show about Vietnamese coffee farmers - a surreal experience for us all - before heading to bed.

DAY 4: MONDAY 28TH OCTOBER

Monday dawned but Wednesday beckoned - Sheffield Wednesday, that is.

We had a very insightful tour of Hillsborough stadium with Rob Cox, the executive head chef, before chatting to head groundsman Tim about... agriculture!

He explained to Roberto about how they cope with the lack of sunlight, that they use part artificial and part natural grass, how they use lamps for grass cultivation and the nutrients present in the soil.

It was then back to the Roastology roastery for Roberto and Doris to meet our fantastic team. Roberto gave a wonderful, personal speech about how much he values the working relationship that we share. It was very moving for the whole team to hear first-hand how the work we do here impacts Roberto, his family and the people who work on their farm back in Costa Rica.

We then held a cupping session of Roberto's coffee, followed by a tasting, then let him hop onto our roaster to roast a batch of his beans. It was fantastic to see the person who grows our coffee complete the full circle of this coffee's journey.

Continuing with the busy itinerary, it was then time to take Roberto and Doris down to Nottingham to meet, Amanda Pettingill, the deputy director of estates and facilities at the University of Nottingham, who gave us a very insightful tour of the campus. Congratulations also to Amanda, who has recently become the new TUCO Chair.

Next we headed to the University's council chambers - where the four of us ended up giving an impromptu presentation! This was followed by an interesting Q&A session with university students and staff, kindly arranged by Chris Jarram, the associate director of catering services, and his fabulous team before heading to the campus's Orchard Hotel for a meal and overnight stay.

We have so much in common with Roberto and Doris, despite cultural differences and living so far apart - our morals and principles are identical. We get on with them so brilliantly and have been corresponding since on Whatsapp (thank you, Google Translate!). Doris showed us round her garden on a video call and we saw her granddaughter eating the honey produced from the hives at our roastery.

It was really emotional to bid them farewell as they headed off to spend some time in the company of our co-founder, Andy.

DAY 5: TUESDAY 29TH OCTOBER

After greeting our guests in Nottingham, Andy took them down to meet Rob Bean, the director of operations at the University of Leicester - another one of our education sector customers - along with a number of colleagues including Gavin Brown, the chief executive officer at Leicester Services Partnership.

Rob carried out a campus tour, visiting the new Queens Building and showing an array of retail areas, ending up in the busy library café where Roberto had the opportunity to provide an update on his farm and the forthcoming harvest, before answering some questions from interested parties.

Next Andy, Roberto and Doris headed to Imperial College London where they were met by Ella Shepherd, assistant catering and events operations manager, along with senior supervisor - and amazing barista - Kitti Szabados. They were joined by Alejandro Rodriguez who, like Jose earlier in the trip, spoke his native Spanish, helping Doris to gain a greater understanding of the tour.

The East Wing Bar gave Roberto the opportunity to host a talk over lunch, before heading to the College Café and the Library Café, two very busy sites where Roberto could sample some of his own coffee.

This was followed by a visit to the Royal College of Music before finishing off with a trip to the stunning Royal Albert Hall.

This whole trip really strengthened our already close relationship. Roberto was extremely complimentary of the movement our business has seen in the 10 years since he last visited and was blown away by the clients we work with. It was heartwarming to see that he feels that we do justice to the coffee he works so hard to produce.

Most of Roberto’s customers have coffee shop chains, so it was great to be able to show a true example of a company supplying business to business and how important ethics and sustainability are to all of Cafeology’s clients - not to mention the care and attention they take in representing the coffee so proudly.

For me (Toni), every day is a school day - I was so excited seeing, listening and being involved, in this visit - my brain was on fire!