BOGOTA, Colombia – The National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have launched Coffee for Peace in Colombia (Coffee for Peace in Colombia), a brand strategy to promote coffee from regions affected by violence and illicit economies.
The launch took place in the framework of Cafes de Colombia Expo, the most important specialty coffee fair in Latin America and the Caribbean, which opened today in Corferias and runs until next Sunday, 20th.
The Coffee for Peace strategy focuses on coffee families from six departments and regions (Antioquia, Caqueta, Cauca, Meta, southern Bolivar and Valle del Cauca) and 34 municipalities, where the structuring of sustainable businesses has been promoted, strengthening all chain links.
“Any initiative that helps us improve the income of Colombian coffee growers, which includes providing direct access to buyers willing to recognize their work, will always be welcome and will have the strong support of the FNC,” said General Manager Roberto Velez. Vallejo, at the launch.
Increased productivity, improved harvest and post-harvest, and the promotion of associative and interinstitutional work have facilitated bringing producers and grassroots organizations into contact with national and international markets.
It is expected that, in the medium and long term, the strategy will be extended to all coffee regions of the country through the Federation and the connection between producers, buyers and roasters will be expanded.
An integral strategy
- Coffee for Peace is a comprehensive and sustainable strategy that includes activities such as:
- Promotion and marketing: includes a portal that allows producers, marketers and roasters to be connected; promotion of coffee through social networks (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook); support to the participation of producers and organizations in fairs and events at national level (regional fairs, auctions, quality competitions) and international (SCA, SCJ, coffee summits, etc.), and tours of international buyers to farms and places of origin of the coffee.
- Commercial development: with the work articulated between FNC, USAID and other strategic allies, better production is supported and the implementation of basic cultivation practices, the microprocessor program is developed to overcome critical points of the post-harvest process that affect quality of the coffee; and improvement of productive infrastructure in farm and community, in order to identify supply of traceable coffee and microlots with export potential.
- Electronic commerce: alliances with e-commerce platforms are sought, reaching more than three thousand roasters and importers, having an updated export offer and continuing the work articulated with FNC and other strategic allies.
Initiative that has paid off
Coffee for Peace in Colombia was launched internationally in June during the World Coffee Berlin 2019 fair, where coffee was promoted at the Colombian Coffee stand; In addition, the signing of a business agreement between the Kafkao Republik company in Germany and the Cafemasu organization, in the municipality of Mesetas (Meta), was facilitated for the purchase of 100 tons of coffee annually for five years initially.
With this strategy, two caravans of buyers have been developed in Valle del Cauca and Cauca, and three auctions have been supported in regional coffee competitions in Cauca, which made the company Trabocca (USA) an importer ally, with whom it has established a commercial alliance for the distribution of coffee to small roasters in the United States, Holland and South Korea.
To date, via Coffee for Peace in Colombia, 398 tons of coffee have been exported, representing USD 1.4 million and four memoranda of understanding have been signed with international buyers.
For the remainder of 2019, four caravans of buyers are scheduled to the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Antioquia, Meta and Bolivar, where RGC, Atlas Coffee, Schuil Coffee, Coffee Source and Crop to Cup will be counted.
