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This Week’s Featured Country: Colombia
Jan
Photo courtesy of http://www.delamesa.com/colombian-coffee-tour/
Located in the northwest corner of South America, Colombia occupies 440,831 square miles and has a population of about 46 million people. It is bordered by five Central and South American countries: Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, and the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. The equator runs through the southern third of the country, contributing to its hot climate. It is the only South American country bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, and it is bisected by the Andes mountain range, which creates coastal lowlands to the west and jungles to the east. Colombia is also considered to be part of the “ring of fire”- an area of the world vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This area actually works in favor of coffee production, as the rich volcanic soil aids in the growth of coffee.
Photo courtesy of http://www.mapsofworld.com/colombia/
Colombia is the second only to Brazil as the most biodiverse country in the world, and has the most diversity of bird species on the entire planet. Not only does Colombia produce world-renowned coffee, they also sell most of the world’s emeralds and has South America’s highest coal production. Colombia’s largest exports include coffee, petroleum, coal, apparel, bananas, and cut flowers.
Colombia’s coffee was originally brought to the attention of the international marketplace in the late 1950s with the fictional spokesperson for coffee- Juan Valdez, which was part of a marketing campaign by the National Federation of Coffee Growers. It is currently third in global production of coffee, behind Brazil and Vietnam; however, the top two countries produce mainly Robusta coffees, which are a cheaper, softer bean than the Arabica beans grown in Colombia.
The Juan Valdez logo. Photo courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Valdez
It is not known exactly when coffee arrived in Colombia, but it is believed to have arrived with Jesuit priests traveling to the area sometime in the 17th century. However, the first export overseas didn’t happen until 1835, when coffee was shipped to the United States.
Nearly half of all Colombian coffees are shade grown. Shade grown coffee requires little or no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. The shade trees filter carbon dioxide, and aid in soil moisture retention which minimizes erosion. Most coffees in Colombia are also grown at very high elevations. The capital city of Colombia, Bogota, sits at 8,661 feet above sea level.
Because of the mountainous terrain that Colombian coffee is grown on, coffee is harvested by hand. Harvesting coffee by hand in Colombia results in not only a higher-quality product, but also the broader involvement of coffee growers in the industry, which, by necessity, employs many small-scale farmers. Some 95% of Colombian coffee-growing families operate on small plots of land, averaging five acres each. This characteristic distinguishes Colombian coffee production as essentially a family-run operation, in which all of the harvesting and post-harvest processing is carried out by the growers themselves.
Harvesting coffee by hand. Photo courtesy of http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/colombia-coffee-harvest.html
Coco’s Coffee currently has two Colombian varieties in the lineup: Huila and Valle De Cauca. Read about their flavor profiles in the Current Varieties page, and purchase your favorite today in our shop!
Sources:
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/colombia-facts/
maps.google.com
http://wildlifeextra.com/go/news/diversity#cr
http://equalexchange.coop/history-of-coffee-in-colombia
http://colombiancoffeehub.com/origin/tidbits-10-coffee-growing-facts-fro_1467282
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/coffee-in-colombia-waking-up-to-an-opportunity/
