BOGOTA, Colombia – The current pandemic was not an obstacle for the auction of the fifth competition Colombia, Land of Diversity to be carried out online with great success and 140 potential buyers registered from different countries. On this first international online auction, the 32 auctioned lots were sold (it took only 20 minutes for them to get a buyer) at an average price of 11.66 USD/lb, benefiting all the participating producers, who saw their commitment to quality rewarded with an income much higher than the market base price.
This is the highest average price of the five auctions held to date, and at the same time the edition in which the most lots were put up for auction, and all were sold.
“The auction closed, and the results are excellent. A great success and an enormous institutional effort,” the CEO of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), Roberto Vélez, said.
The highest price reached in the auction, 45.5 USD/lb, was for the washed Castillo-variety coffee produced by Francisco Alexander Bermúdez, on the Paraíso Villa Rosita farm, located at 1,890 masl, in the department of Cauca.
This coffee was bought by Chinese company Shanghai Haimo Industrial Ltd., a milestone that allows to continue opening up new markets for Colombian coffee as part of the FNC’s institutional work.
The second best price in the auction, 32.25 USD/lb, was for the washed coffee produced by Diego Samuel Bermúdez on the El Paraíso farm, also in the department of Cauca, at 1,920 masl.
Thanks to their innovative wet milling methods, the Bermúdez family members have emerged as protagonists in the most recent competitions and auctions of Café de Colombia.
And the third best auction price, 31.21 USD/lb, was for the coffee produced by Jorge Antonio Arboleda on Los Pinos farm, at 1,990 masl, in the municipality of Urrao, Antioquia.
With a long fermentation of 96 hours and drying in the sun, Arboleda’s coffee features a floral and citrus cup profile.
Of the 140 potential buyers registered, on the auction 17 bidders actually bought coffee, from countries as diverse as China (including the island of Taiwan), South Korea, the USA, the UK, Canada, and Colombia, reflecting the enormous institutional effort.
Land of Diversity: Unprecedented logistics
Thanks to coordinated work between the FNC and its logistics arm, Almacafé, this auction was a success, also for its unprecedented size. Over 3,200 coffee samples were received from producers, and the best were sent to over 100 Café de Colombia customers and competition judges in 15 countries.
Producing and promoting highest-quality coffee helps producers improve their income, one of priorities of the FNC’s value strategy.
