THE FLAMEKEEPER
Presented by the Roasters Guild
WELCOME BACK to the latest edition of the Flamekeeper!
As we go to press, the 2007 Roasters Guild origin trip to Colombia
has just concluded. The Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC)
was our host on our first trip to Colombia and by all accounts
they were gracious and hospitable. The participants traveled
to some of the most famous coffee-growing regions in Colombia,
including Manizales and Armenia.
The trip was exciting and educational as the FNC was very open
about how they operate and how the coffee market works. Some
interesting things we learned were:
• There are currently around 566,000 cafeteros (coffee farmers)
working in Colombia
• Colombia produced more than 12 million bags of coffee last year
• There are 3.3 million hectares, or 8.25 million acres, in the country’s “coffee
zone”
• The average farm is seven acres, although many are smaller
• Only .49 percent of cafeteros have more than 20 hectares, hence estate
Colombians are rare
• 15,000 pesos ($7.75) per day is the minimum wage for coffee pickers
• Colombian coffee makes up six percent of total GNP, as well as 12.5
percent of the rural GNP
• Organic coffee farmers make about 26 cents a pound for parchment
coffee
• On many farms, particularly those with Rainforest Alliance certification,
coffee processing has been modified by eliminating the fermentation step
and this has reduced water use from 40 liters per kilo of coffee to four
liters per kilo. Soon it will be around one liter. (Not all good news to
those who prefer traditionally processed washed coffees!)
• The FNC wants to get as many cafeteros as possible on-line. The Internet
could be very valuable as a agricultural/educational tool if it was widely
available to small farmers
• The FNC is also in the retail coffee business with their Juan Valdez
Cafés, which have been very successful in Colombia. They have just
opened their first stores in Spain.
Many more complicated coffee issues were discussed and discovered
on the trip. From different physical analysis techniques and drying, to
water separation and fermentation—anything and everything was put
under the microscope. The trip also exposed us to the stark consequences
of failure for the small coffee farmer. Many indigenous, subsistence farmers
cultivate very small farms and their entire survival depends on being
able to sell their precious few beans from their average of 2,000 trees
each. Participants also learned how coffee is evaluated and even got a
chance to lend a helping hand to the country by planting coffee trees.
During the trip, we visited Cenicafe, the FNC’s research arm, and
had a tasting in their controlled tasting room in which everyone had their
own private booth and we were asked to cup several different varietals.
We also were fortunate enough to meet with Andre Jose Guerrero who informed
us about Fundacion Natura Colombia’s work certifying Rainforest
Alliance farms and promoting biodiversity, conservation and sustainable
human development.
At the El Agrado farm, which happens to be both Utz and Rainforest
Alliance certified, we learned about their 25-year quest to improve coffee
quality, and their constant experimentation with different heat types
in the drying process, their fight against Broca (a boring insect that
drills holes in the coffee), the pros and cons of growing different varietals
such as typica, variedad Colombia, caturra and castillo, as well as their
quest to hybridize the best qualities of each.
We learned that, among those who process coffee, it is a constant
struggle to maintain their economic viability against factors that make
the business less and less profitable, like the rising costs of energy
and water. We were also treated to a presentation by Olga Lucia Cuellar
G, from The University of Arizona. Her presentation, entitled “Coffee
Produced By Women: Marketing, Strategy and Local Empowerment” was
enlightening, to say the least. Olga told us about the founding of Mujer
Caficultora (Female Coffee Grower) in 2000. Today this program has developed
into an association of 390 women coffee producers who produce 10 containers
of coffee a year. These dedicated women farmers work hard to produce coffee
and deserve to be recognized.
As we traversed the beautiful Colombian countryside and trekked
up its colossal mountain ranges, it became clear to all of us what a unique
and memorable experience this trip was going to be.
The Roasters Guild would like to extend our gratitude to the
Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros and Cenicafe for an excellent and educational
trip.
In other news…
Good things are afoot. We’ve been actively putting together a web
plan that should lead to the launch of a completely rebuilt and more interactive
site before the end of the year. Our membership team has been working
in tandem with some of the new SCAA staff to eradicate the confusion that
has been arising due to tracking and data management inefficiencies. With
apologies to those members who’ve had difficulties in the past with
updating or receiving clear information about their status, we would like
you to know that we went to the root of the matter and replanted.
As reported, the Colombia origin trip was fantastic. We’ll be looking
to add more origins to the list beginning as early as 2008, and we’d
love to hear your suggestions about what sorts of other coffee events
you’d find valuable. We really want input—not just on future
trips, but on future plans—and encourage every member (or potential
member) to write to us and give us your ideas about how we can keep growing
the Guild into a more effective educational and trade tool for the professional
roasting community.
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