Beyond a cup of coffee: #ACoffeeJourney to Colombia

Nestled in the mountainous heart of Colombia, the vibrant city of Medellin beckons travellers with its lively energy and rich cultural tapestry. But the true soul of this country lies in its rural lands, particularly the fertile valleys of Antioquia, where the very essence of Colombian coffee culture thrives.

As soon as the group of our ambassadors arrives in Medellin, they start out by driving to the coffee plantations near the Andean town of Jardin, in the southwest of the province of Antioquia. The trip is captivating, with winding roads and breath-taking views of the emerald, green vegetation encompassing rolling hills and mountains.

The first stop is at a coffee mill, where they learn about different varieties of coffee trees, their lifecycle and the pests that can affect them. Here the Ambassadors are also able to touch their very first coffee cherry, a truly special experience.

“We tasted its flesh, which turned out to have a surprisingly sweet flavour”, says Daniele Padovano , a Senior Product manager from Italy.

The following day, the six Ambassadors visit another finca and indulge in the warmth of Colombian hospitality. The owner is a man in his sixties but it’s his daughter who runs the whole operation now. The group receives a lesson in how to hand-pick cherries that are the right size and colour, a deep dark red which means that the beans inside are ready. Then they are suited up with picking baskets and it’s time to immerse themselves in the thick plantation, surrounded by the lush beauty of nature. Initially, this proves extremely challenging as the air is really humid and the terrain so steep that keeping your footing is almost impossible. It gets better after a few hours but at the end of the day the six Ambassadors together have picked less than 100 kg, when an average worker normally can pick up to 150 kg in a day.

“I learned a lot about farmers’ hard work,” says Laura Muttillo , Lavazza Group Marketing Manager in Sweden and Finland. “But also, about how local society is changing. I was told that a young woman running a plantation like this was unthinkable just a few years ago.”

Within the same area, farms can be very diverse - some use only manual labour, others are more mechanized. While some estates boast accessibility and workers well-versed in welcoming foreigners, others lie nestled in remote terrain where encounters with Westerners remain an anomaly, revealing a striking contrast in experiences for visitors. However, a shared characteristic of these farms is their small size – they typically house no more than 50,000 trees and are managed solely by individual families. This means the market is very fragmented, and farmers can hardly create economies of scale.

While visiting another plantation, the Ambassadors discover the intricate artistry involved in preparing every bag of beans for export – cherry skins and flesh are removed, beans are washed, dried, fermented and meticulously graded. Furthermore, they see first-hand the importance of Lavazza’s local partner, Carcafe / Volcafe Group , a company working to find solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change, encourage gender equality and improve the lives of those involved in coffee farming. After trying their hands at planting fruit trees, the Ambassadors learn about agroforestry, a system which strategically integrates different types of plants within coffee farms, adding shade and providing nutrients to the soil. These systems can diminish the impacts of climate change on coffee production, improve yields, and allow farmers to generate extra income. But local farmers are not always ready to embrace it and Carcafe’s agronomists must work hard to convince them. Behind a cup of coffee there are economic, social and environmental aspects. The work of Carcafe tends to stabilize these three elements as much as possible to avoid any break in the virtuous circle.

“We realized we have a huge responsibility as individuals and as a company to make sure the entire supply chain is sustainable from farmers to consumers”, says Carte Noire product change manager Odile BERNARD . After four days in the verdant landscapes of coffee plantations, the group heads back to Medellin and plunges into a city that has undergone a remarkable transformation, shedding its tumultuous past to emerge as a hub of creativity and resilience. There the Ambassadors visit District 13, a once notorious neighbourhood that is now a vibrant tourist destination, boasting a kaleidoscope of colourful graffiti and a rhythmic heartbeat pulsating through its streets. This rebirth has turned the area into a sort of open-air gallery, where each mural tells a story of metamorphosis and hope.

“The whole trip to Colombia was an unforgettable experience and gave me such a deep understanding of what goes into every single bean of coffee”, says Steffanie Griffin, BBA , executive assistant at Kicking Horse Coffee in Canada. “My morning cup is forever changed”.