About the Coffee Catalyst is decaffeinated at origin in Huila, Colombia, one of the country's most productive coffee-growing regions, sitting between 1,500 and 2,000 meters in the Andes. Decaffeinating at origin rather than at a separate facility keeps the supply chain shorter and gives producers more direct involvement in how their coffee is handled after harvest. The decaffeination process used here is a natural one, meaning no synthetic chemical solvents are involved. Instead, it relies on water and carbon dioxide (CO2) to remove caffeine while leaving the structure of the bean largely intact. This is why the coffee holds up well across different brew methods, from espresso to French press, rather than tasting flat or stripped-out the way some decafs can. Pilot describes Catalyst as a consistent performer on the cupping table, which is the industry's standard way of evaluating and comparing coffees side by side. The fact that it keeps showing up as a standout in those tastings is part of why it's stayed in rotation as a blend rather than being rotated out seasonally. About Pilot Andy Wilkin and Jessie Holmes opened Te Aro Roasted in May 2009 in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood, inside a former car garage. Andy came to it with a Q Grader certification, a formal qualification for evaluating coffee quality, and drew early inspiration from the cafe culture he knew from Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand. By 2013, the operation had grown and rebranded as Pilot Coffee Roasters, moving roasting to a dedicated facility at 50 Wagstaff Drive. Pilot's sourcing approach is built around long-term relationships with producers rather than spot-buying on the open market. The idea is that returning to the same farms year after year gives both sides a reason to invest in improving quality together over time.
