Ethiopia Chelbesa

1. Our Relationship
Genuine Origin was the second import partner in our coffee roasting journey. Where Sweet Maria's sells very small lots of coffee, Genuine Origin sells 65lb boxes, a healthy step-up from what was our normal 20lb orders. We love that Genuine Origin makes coffee samples available, and all coffee orders receive free shipping.

2. Who is Genuine Origin?
Genuine Origin (GO) is a U.S.-based green-coffee importer and e-commerce platform created by Volcafe in 2016 to make Volcafe Way–sourced coffees accessible to roasters of every size via online ordering rather than traditional commodity contracts.
GO is part of Volcafe’s global network of exporters and quality labs, giving it direct origin access and centralized U.S. warehousing. The company’s signature format is the 65-lb box—purpose-built for small and midsize roasters—and every order ships free within the continental United States.
As a subsidiary brand within Volcafe, GO doesn’t publish its own annual revenue or shipment volumes. For scale context, Volcafe—one of the world’s largest coffee merchants—says it supplies beans for roughly 66 billion cups of coffee each year. Treat that figure as parent-company scope rather than GO-specific volume.
Notable initiatives linked to GO include La Morena (a women-producer program begun in 2016 with Volcafe Guatemala) and ongoing origin reporting/education across 20+ origins—both reflective of the Volcafe Way farmer-support model that underpins its sourcing.

3. Industry Impact
Genuine Origin helped normalize online, box-size spot buying of specialty-grade green coffee for small and emerging roasters in the U.S.—reducing minimums, simplifying logistics, and speeding up sample-to-roaster workflows with free continental shipping and predictable 65-lb packaging. This lowered the barrier to entry for hundreds (if not thousands) of micro-roasters and cafes.
Through Volcafe’s global footprint, GO also channels sustainability work and technical assistance from the Volcafe Way program into coffees that are easy for small roasters to access, amplifying farm-level best practices while strengthening traceability and lot storytelling.
Beyond commerce, GO’s steady stream of origin reports and partnerships (e.g., community and equity initiatives at major coffee events) has broadened industry literacy and visibility for producers—especially women-led groups—across multiple origins.

$5.95 USD

65 lb