[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
At this point, we\u2019re all sick of updates and harvest reports that start with, \u201cWhat a wild year this has been,\u201d so we won\u2019t make a whole production out of it: Simply put, coffee is never easy work, and these days that\u2019s truer than almost ever before. This year has been a real test of the strength of our relationships, and while there have been a few setbacks, sadnesses, and disappointments, overall we have been shown the true power of commitments, partnerships, and of sticking together\u2014as Cafe Imports founder and green-coffee buyer for Colombia Andrew Miller always says\u2014through sickness and in health, in good times and bad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Which is to say, yes, there is some bad news\u2014but it\u2019s not all bad, we promise. (Read on.)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Colombia_Carmo_Best_Cup_2018_VP-3.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”This Past Harvest \/. Andrew 2″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cThis past harvest in Cauca and Nari\u00f1o (June\u2013August\/September) has been somewhat a \u2018perfect storm\u2019 in terms of\u2026the strains that COVID-19 has put on producers and small, specialty exporters,\u201d says Sam Miller, who, along with Andrew is a principal green-coffee buyer for Colombia. \u201cNearly all coffee pickers typically move from one region to another, following the harvest. This summer, a lockdown was in place and these restrictions meant that producers had to pick their own coffee, or find family and friends to help.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Andrew agrees, and adds a layer of complexity to the problem: \u201cThe other thing that happened was that in the earlier part of this year, the internal pricing in Colombia was really high: The dollar was really strong, and the peso was really weak\u2014so when it used to be a dollar for COP $2,800 or $3,000, now it was COP $4,000 per dollar. Consequently, the internal price was high: Pickers were picking coffee as fast as they could and taking it down to sell it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/IMG_3371.jpg” max_width=”90%” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Price Jump \/ Quakers 3″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n While this price jump in-country may have put some much-needed cash into producers\u2019 hands faster than selling their crops on the specialty market would have, it\u2019s also led to something of a tricky situation for quality-seeking buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d Andrew says, \u201cbut I guess to cut to the chase, what we\u2019re seeing is that the quality kind of sags a little bit in those territories for this harvest. I asked Jairo [Ruiz, cofounder and commercial director of our export partner Banexport], \u201cand he said that typically out of 120 grams they\u2019ll get something like 5 quakers. Now they\u2019re seeing 10\u201315 quakers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Inza-2.jpg” max_width=”95%” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Price Jump \/ Quakers 3 b” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n (Quakers are defective beans that are the result of picking underripe, not-yet-matured coffee cherries: They express themselves in roasted coffee as being a lighter, more tan color than the rich chocolate brown that ripe-picked coffee roasts to. Quakers also have a distinctive nutty, cereal, or popcorn-y flavor in the cup.)<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t let this \u201cdoom and gloom\u201d scare you, though: We\u2019re still receiving samples and approving contracts, and we\u2019re still finding coffees that meet our high standards and profile expectations for both Gran Galopes and Regional Select lots, the cornerstones of our Colombia offerings. You can rest assured that your need for solid blend components, reliable\u00a0single-origin coffees, and anchor products can and will be met by the coffees we\u2019re bringing in this year.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”It’s not over \/ Auction 4″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also not over yet,\u201d Andrew said at the end of last month. \u201cThe really top qualities come from the higher altitudes, which are picked last and are coming in now\u2014so fingers crossed that we\u2019ll see some microlots.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe harvest in Huila has started,\u201d Sam adds on a positive note. \u201cWe expect to see the peak around the first week in December. This means we will likely see the highest-quality offers come through the end of December. The crop in Huila this year seems to be drawn out over a longer period of time due to abnormal and intermittent rains throughout the past few months. With the cherries ripening over the course of a longer period of time, this allows producers to better manage [their] available processing space. We\u2019re hoping to see higher quality because of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Colombia_Carmo_Best_Cup_2018_VP-69.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/DSF3581.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”It’s not over \/ Auction 4″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n So no, it\u2019s not a completely lost-hope situation: In addition to the potential for late-season microlots, Andrew is also excited about the coffees he tasted for this year\u2019s Colombia – Land of Diversity competition, a cupping and auction program held annually by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC). Andrew, along with Cafe Imports sensory analysis director Ian Fretheim, received and cupped 30 top samples from a variety of coffee-growing departments including our usual sourcing areas of Cauca and Nari\u00f1o, along with Antioquia, where we haven\u2019t historically done much work\u2014yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey were awesome,\u201d Andrew says. \u201cI had 6 coffees out of 10 over 90 points, they were smoking. Incredible depth of flavor: Butterscotch, chocolate, vanilla, passionfruit, those kinds of things. Really remarkable coffees\u2014we bought two of them in the auction!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/DSF3418.jpg” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Silver Lining \/ 5″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n The silver lining of this time\u2014come on, we\u2019re Midwestern, we <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> to look for the silver lining\u2014is that we have strong relationships in Colombia with producers and exporters who have become not just partners, but lifelong friends. We have pledged to never default on a contract with our partners and we are holding true to that promise no matter what it takes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cColombia is a wild, passionate, beautiful, complex, and competitive origin,\u201d Sam says. \u201cIt is one of our most complex origins when it comes to volume, quality, and programs. It is a proving ground for innovation and progress, and home to some of our most important relationships and oldest friends. It is our hope that we can continue to navigate this time of global pandemic by leaning on our relationships, continuing to find quality and support our programs from afar, and continue right where we left off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For more information about this year\u2019s incoming Colombia lots, and to plan your purchases ahead of time, feel free to reach out to your sales representative or e-mail <\/span>sales@cafeimports.com<\/span>. As always, we are here and happy to help you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_cta button_text=”Browse Current Offerings” use_background_color=”off” background_color=”#7bb262″ border_style=”solid” custom_button=”on” button_url=”https:dev.cafeimports.com\/offerings#\/origin=Colombia\/” header_font=”Changa One||||” button_text_color_hover=”#ffffff” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_border_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color_hover=”#911814″ button_border_color_hover=”#911814″ module_class=”CI-divi-button1″ custom_css_promo_button=”width: 100%;||min-height: 90px;||” saved_tabs=”all” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.7″ \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At this point, we\u2019re all sick of updates and harvest reports that start with, \u201cWhat a wild year this has been,\u201d so we won\u2019t make a whole production out of it: Simply put, coffee is never easy work, and these days that\u2019s truer than almost ever before. This year has been a real test of the strength of our relationships, and while there have been a few setbacks, sadnesses, and disappointments, overall we have been shown the true power of commitments, partnerships, and of sticking together\u2014as Cafe Imports founder and green-coffee buyer for Colombia Andrew Miller always says\u2014through sickness and in health, in good times and bad.\u00a0<\/p>\n Which is to say, yes, there is some bad news\u2014but it\u2019s not all bad, we promise. (Read on.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":45492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" [et_pb_section bb_built=\"1\"][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Intro\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" text_orientation=\"justified\"]<\/p> At this point, we\u2019re all sick of updates and harvest reports that start with, \u201cWhat a wild year this has been,\u201d so we won\u2019t make a whole production out of it: Simply put, coffee is never easy work, and these days that\u2019s truer than almost ever before. This year has been a real test of the strength of our relationships, and while there have been a few setbacks, sadnesses, and disappointments, overall we have been shown the true power of commitments, partnerships, and of sticking together\u2014as Cafe Imports founder and green-coffee buyer for Colombia Andrew Miller always says\u2014through sickness and in health, in good times and bad.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> Which is to say, yes, there is some bad news\u2014but it\u2019s not all bad, we promise. (Read on.)<\/span><\/p> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=\"1_2\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"This Past Harvest \/. Andrew 2\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" text_orientation=\"justified\"]<\/p> \u201cThis past harvest in Cauca and Nari\u00f1o (June\u2013August\/September) has been somewhat a \u2018perfect storm\u2019 in terms of\u2026the strains that COVID-19 has put on producers and small, specialty exporters,\u201d says Sam Miller, who, along with Andrew is a principal green-coffee buyer for Colombia. \u201cNearly all coffee pickers typically move from one region to another, following the harvest. This summer, a lockdown was in place and these restrictions meant that producers had to pick their own coffee, or find family and friends to help.\u201d<\/span><\/p> Andrew agrees, and adds a layer of complexity to the problem: \u201cThe other thing that happened was that in the earlier part of this year, the internal pricing in Colombia was really high: The dollar was really strong, and the peso was really weak\u2014so when it used to be a dollar for COP $2,800 or $3,000, now it was COP $4,000 per dollar. Consequently, the internal price was high: Pickers were picking coffee as fast as they could and taking it down to sell it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_2\"][et_pb_image _builder_version=\"3.7\" src=\"\/\/images.cafeimports.com\/IMG_3371.jpg\" \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Price Jump \/ Quakers 3\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" text_orientation=\"justified\"]<\/p> While this price jump in-country may have put some much-needed cash into producers\u2019 hands faster than selling their crops on the specialty market would have, it\u2019s also led to something of a tricky situation for quality-seeking buyers.<\/span><\/p> \u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d Andrew says, \u201cbut I guess to cut to the chase, what we\u2019re seeing is that the quality kind of sags a little bit in those territories for this harvest. I asked Jairo [Ruiz, cofounder and commercial director of our export partner Banexport], \u201cand he said that typically out of 120 grams they\u2019ll get something like 5 quakers. Now they\u2019re seeing 10\u201315 quakers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> (Quakers are defective beans that are the result of picking underripe, not-yet-matured coffee cherries: They express themselves in roasted coffee as being a lighter, more tan color than the rich chocolate brown that ripe-picked coffee roasts to. Quakers also have a distinctive nutty, cereal, or popcorn-y flavor in the cup.)<\/span><\/p> Don\u2019t let this \u201cdoom and gloom\u201d scare you, though: We\u2019re still receiving samples and approving contracts, and we\u2019re still finding coffees that meet our high standards and profile expectations for both Gran Galopes and Regional Select lots, the cornerstones of our Colombia offerings. You can rest assured that your need for solid blend components, reliable\u00a0single-origin coffees, and anchor products can and will be met by the coffees we\u2019re bringing in this year. <\/span><\/p> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=\"It's not over \/ Auction 4\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" text_orientation=\"justified\"]<\/p> \u201cIt\u2019s also not over yet,\u201d Andrew said at the end of last month. \u201cThe really top qualities come from the higher altitudes, which are picked last and are coming in now\u2014so fingers crossed that we\u2019ll see some microlots.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cThe harvest in Huila has started,\u201d Sam adds on a positive note. \u201cWe expect to see the peak around the first week in December. This means we will likely see the highest-quality offers come through the end of December. The crop in Huila this year seems to be drawn out over a longer period of time due to abnormal and intermittent rains throughout the past few months. With the cherries ripening over the course of a longer period of time, this allows producers to better manage [their] available processing space. We\u2019re hoping to see higher quality because of this.\u201d<\/span><\/p> So no, it\u2019s not a completely lost-hope situation: In addition to the potential for late-season microlots, Andrew is also excited about the coffees he tasted for this year\u2019s Colombia - Land of Diversity competition, a cupping and auction program held annually by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC). Andrew, along with Cafe Imports sensory analysis director Ian Fretheim, received and cupped 30 top samples from a variety of coffee-growing departments including our usual sourcing areas of Cauca and Nari\u00f1o, along with Antioquia, where we haven\u2019t historically done much work\u2014yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cThey were awesome,\u201d Andrew says. \u201cI had 6 coffees out of 10 over 90 points, they were smoking. Incredible depth of flavor: Butterscotch, chocolate, vanilla, passionfruit, those kinds of things. Really remarkable coffees\u2014we bought two of them in the auction!\u201d<\/span><\/p> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Silver Lining \/ 5\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" text_orientation=\"justified\"]<\/p> The silver lining of this time\u2014come on, we\u2019re Midwestern, we <\/span>have<\/span><\/i> to look for the silver lining\u2014is that we have strong relationships in Colombia with producers and exporters who have become not just partners, but lifelong friends. We have pledged to never default on a contract with our partners and we are holding true to that promise no matter what it takes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> \u201cColombia is a wild, passionate, beautiful, complex, and competitive origin,\u201d Sam says. \u201cIt is one of our most complex origins when it comes to volume, quality, and programs. It is a proving ground for innovation and progress, and home to some of our most important relationships and oldest friends. It is our hope that we can continue to navigate this time of global pandemic by leaning on our relationships, continuing to find quality and support our programs from afar, and continue right where we left off.\u201d<\/span><\/p> For more information about this year\u2019s incoming Colombia lots, and to plan your purchases ahead of time, feel free to reach out to your sales representative or e-mail <\/span>sales@cafeimports.com<\/span>. As always, we are here and happy to help you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\"][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\"][et_pb_cta button_text=\"Browse Current Offerings\" use_background_color=\"off\" background_color=\"#7bb262\" border_style=\"solid\" custom_button=\"on\" button_url=\"https:dev.cafeimports.com\/offerings#\/origin=Colombia\/\" header_font=\"Changa One||||\" button_text_color_hover=\"#ffffff\" button_text_color=\"#000000\" button_border_color=\"#000000\" button_bg_color_hover=\"#911814\" button_border_color_hover=\"#911814\" module_class=\"CI-divi-button1\" custom_css_promo_button=\"width: 100%;||min-height: 90px;||\" saved_tabs=\"all\" background_position=\"top_left\" background_repeat=\"repeat\" background_size=\"initial\" _builder_version=\"3.7\" \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\"][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombia"],"site_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/europe\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}