THAT FIRST FEW WORDS

The first few words typed here, stretches all the way back to the 3 January 2016. The instruction that appeared on the WhatsApp message to the Roasting Team was short, clear and concise - “We are also looking for coffees for Katapult (sic).”

There and then, sample and samples of coffee was roasted, cupped and analysed in search of that inspiration blend but the story does not starts there nor does it ends here.

KATAPULT-ING DUTCH COLONY TO SUCCESS

Somewhere in the middle of Quarter 4 of 2015, the partners of Dutch Colony brainstormed the idea of a seasonal blend. Really, it wasn’t just entirely about the blend but rather, the story with the end product as the symbolic gesture. A story in the blend to signify our struggles, challenges, and blessings as a growing company, yet a seasonal product that is so good and we will be proud to have.

This blend needed a name and after a few rounds (serious rounds) of playful name tossing, we finally agreed with Catapult, spelt as Katapult with a capital letter K, on the 25 November 2015. Our prayers that this symbolic blend will slingshot our way to coffee success, both locally and globally!

THE FIRST BIG "K" LAUNCHED IN 2016

The making of our first ever seasonal blend on top of the other beautifully handcrafted blends that we already have, was not really an easy thing for the roasting team of Dutch Colony. The moon and the stars have to be aligned! The time of the launch has to be right and when we agreed in unison that our 3rd year anniversary would be the best moment to announce the arrival of Big "K", we scrambled to the harvest calendar to know which origins would be in season and after its cherry picking, processing, milling and transportation, to reach our roastery by February so that some R&D work could be started.

In March 2016, Katapult #001 was conceived, a delicious blend consisting of 50% Fazenda Rodomunho from Brazil and 50% Cyebumba from Rwanda and the rest they said, is history in the making.

Katapult is a by-product that showcase the ability of our roasting team to create a seasonal product that is so good and we will be proud to have. Expect exciting components in our Katapult, as the crops change according to the harvest cycles and seasonality of the origins. Yes, just like Singapore’s favourite King Of Fruit (the durians), coffees have seasonal cycles too and depending on which part of the equator line they sit in and grow, we can have the Ethiopians only available in our warehouse between June to October (they are harvested usually 3 to 4 months earlier then the warehouse arrival date) or the Brazilians only in late October and the Panama towards the end of the year entering into January and February.

For Katapult #006 that was just launched recently on 10 September, we use fresh coffees from Costa Rica, a blend of two mouth-watering Don Claudio natural and fully-washed, that tastes like rum & raisins, green apple yogurt and caramelised cocoa nibs in your palate. They are in our shop grinder hopper for the whole of September or until stock runs out! (and they are flying off fast!).

So, hurry get your cuppa at the nearest Dutch Colony outlets or buy a bag to brew it at home today!