Head to the far south-west of South Sudan, close to the borders with Congo and the Central African Republic, and you'll reach Nzara. It's green, fertile country in Western Equatoria, and almost everyone there lives off the land.
It's also where our Excelsa grows. Most coffee is a long way from where it started: Arabica spread around the world from Ethiopia. This one is still growing where it began.
Neither Arabica nor Robusta
Excelsa is a different coffee species altogether. It's rare, and very few UK roasters sell it.
Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, tested the plants. Their verdict: this Excelsa is native to South Sudan. Its genetics are also unusually diverse, which means there's a lot more to discover.
Teak takes 25 years. Coffee takes three.
Coffee has grown in Western Equatoria for decades. Then the Second Sudanese Civil War, which began in the 1980s, almost brought it to a halt.
In 2018, Equatoria Coffee started planting again. The company already grew teak, but teak takes 25 years to harvest. Coffee is ready in three, then crops every year after that.
For local farmers, that's the difference between getting paid once a generation and getting paid every year.
1,500 farmers and counting
Equatoria now works with 1,500 smallholders across Nzara and Yambio. They get seedlings, training and a direct line to international buyers, with no middlemen taking a cut.
Many plant groundnuts between their coffee, so they have a second income. The company focuses especially on jobs for women and young people. It has also built roads, boreholes, schools and health centres.
We create jobs in London. This coffee creates them 3,600 miles away. It's good company to keep.
Two tonnes a year
Between 2018 and 2023, Equatoria produced around 2 tonnes of coffee a year. Most of it was drunk locally in Juba. Hardly any left the country.
The plan is to reach 500 tonnes. For now, the lots are tiny, which is why you won't see this coffee on many shelves.
Excelsa is tough, too. It shrugs off common diseases, handles heat and copes with unpredictable rain. As the climate changes, researchers are watching it closely.
It tastes like a stout
You get dark chocolate and raisin first, then warm spice and a fresh, minty lift, with a walnut finish. It's rich and rounded, with low acidity and a finish that lingers. It's honey anaerobic processed, and it has around 25% less caffeine than a typical Arabica.
