There's a lot of buzz coming out the caffeinated world these days about fair trade coffee.

A local couple, Deanna and Jeremy Dyk have started up the Green Valley Roaster to get on-board with the global conversation that's taking place around single-origin coffees.

"Better Beans for a Better World," is the ambitious tagline for the couple's new Chilliwack venture.

"We're doing everything we can to create excellent coffee, while truly enjoying life and contributing to our global community," Deanna explains.

It might just be the effects of their robust coffee, but one thing is clear. They have big ideas, everything from making an impact on the world, to their plans for a opening a storefront location downtown someday.

In the meantime, The Dyks invited a Progress team over recently to meet with them to sample their product, and to talk about what they're up to with the Green Valley Roaster.

"Our little roaster is set up on the back patio of the house and we do everything in small batches, including the purchasing purchasing, roasting, packaging, and printing. Everything is done by hand, just the three of us," says Deanna.

The couple moved here from Alberta with their young son to start up the roastery because they "believe" in good coffee and also in supporting the coffee growers and the land they grow it on.

"At Green Valley we recognize we live in a global community; an intricate, fragile and beautiful balance of life, resources, and responsibilities," reads the flyer for the new business.

They plan to donate a portion of their profits to help support “The WaterSchool” in its ongoing effort to provide clean drinking water to the residents of Uganda and Central African countries.

When the recession hit last year, the Dyks found themselves unemployed from their jobs in teaching and the trades. So they packed up and headed west with the idea of launching their new venture in Chilliwack.

Now in just a few months, they've established a Canadian supplier who specializes in working with small growers in struggling countries like Guatemala, Columbia, Kenya, Brazil and Nicaragua. The coffee ranges in price from $12 to $15 per pound.

Jeremy says their roasting odyssey began years ago with a popcorn popper, and saw them experimenting with duration and flavour complexity. They got the idea from his college dean who was an aficianado of the popper roasting method, since freshness, as they learned, is the very essence of a good cuppa.

"I never really tasted good coffee until a few years ago," he admits. "There was always Tim Hortons or church coffee around, but it's not the same."

He realized in almost a eureka moment that when a steaming cup of coffee was truly good and aromatic, you could make out the distinct flavour of the bean. "We're still learning more every day," he says. "When we're roasting, we have to be very precise. Seconds can make a difference."

Fresh beans matter because the roasted bean starts to degrade in only three days.

To demonstrate, Jeremy urges us to sample a freshly roasted bean just the way it is. Crrrrunnnch. Our tastebuds explode with the pleasing, rich taste.

Then later when the kettle has boiled and the water cooled slightly, a pot of their full city roast Guatemalan Antigua is carefully prepared. Jeremy says he prefers to use a French press to trap as many of the aromatic compounds and emerging flavours as possible.

The multilayered flavour of the Guatamalan was lovely and quite lively, with a good balance and medium acidity, and worked wonders at chasing away the rainy-day blues.

The Dyks are working on getting their coffee into more local stores. So far it's available at Docks Seafood on Vedder Road and SKT Market on Yale Road. They also take orders online at www.greenvalleyroaster.wordpress.com or by phone at 604-701-2169.

And their customer list is growing.

"We're connecting with green-thinking families," says Deanna. "Everyone drinks coffee, but many families are also becoming aware of the politics of growing coffee, and the whole fair trade issue."

jfeinberg@theprogress.com