Origin of Colombian Coffee

In the 16^th century, Jesuit missionaries first brought coffee beans to the country of Colombia. The volcanic soil of the Andes Mountains, along with the mild temperatures and abundant rainfall of the Colombian topography, provided ideal growing conditions, enabling the coffee plants to flourish.

Today, coffee trees are cultivated on small farms that spread over 900,000 hectares of mostly shaded mountainous areas, carefully tended by more than 500,000 independent coffee growers, known in Colombia as Cafeteros, and their families. Colombian Coffee grows at altitudes ranging from 3,000 to 6,500 feet (1,000 to 2,000 meters), accounting for the coffee’s well-known acidity. The average temperature in these areas is 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) and rainfall is generous, accumulating to approximately 95 inches per year.

Currently, Colombia is the number one exporter of mild coffee, providing 28% of the world’s washed Arabica green coffee. Colombia also exports roasted, spray, freeze-dried and liquid extract coffee, allowing for wider spectrum of product possibilities.

Coffee is harvested throughout the year in Colombia, with a principal crop between October and December, and a secondary crop between April and May. Unique to Colombia, this production cycle ensures that there is a fresh supply of Colombian Coffee available to roasters, distributors and consumers year-round.

Once the coffee berries have ripened to a deep red, they are ready to be handpicked by the careful hands of a Colombian Cafeteros. Since berries ripen on the same tree at different rates, they must be picked individually. Therefore, the Cafeteros must laboriously return to the same tree eight times, on average, before all its beans are harvested. While still on the farm, coffee cherries are then de-pulped and washed. The beans are carefully dried in the sun or in modern drying machines.

All coffee exported from Colombia is washed, enhancing the coffee’s delicate aroma and flavor. After passing rigorous quality inspection routinely performed at mills and ports, the coffee is shipped to consumers around the globe.

Only the finest coffee beans are allowed to leave the shores of Colombia. It is the responsibility of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia to set and uphold quality standards and to oversee all aspects of promoting Colombian Coffee to discerning consumers around the world.