Colombia Magdalena
The Farm
The Green Coffee Company was founded in 2017 with the mission of transforming the dynamics of Colombian coffee production through innovation, experience, and quality to offer consistent coffees to customers around the world.
The farm’s total area is now 4,000 hectares, thanks to the acquisition of 40 farms where full control over all aspects of production is possible, from agronomy to post-harvest processing and export. GCC has invested significantly in technology and has two centralized wet mills with the capacity to process 360,000 kg of cherries per day. These wet mills utilize advanced cherry color sorting technology and electronic monitoring throughout the process, which has helped them reduce the volume of water required to produce coffee by more than 21 million liters.
At GCC, environmental and social conditions are an integral part of the supply chain philosophy. On the farms, they actively work to protect the watershed by planting more than 26,000 non-coffee trees. They manage 55% of these lands and have 153 hectares of reserved forest. They have planted more than 2 million Castillo and Colombian coffee trees on land previously used for livestock. In the nursery, they have completely eliminated the use of plastics.
The farms have more than 400 permanent employees who have access to stable and secure employment, as well as a pension program for workers. They have an equal opportunity program: 27% of employees are women, and their goal is to create more leadership positions for them on the farms. They also have an initiative that supports single mothers so they can work in the local community.
Process Method
Only the ripe cherries are harvested and then they are taken to the depulper. In them the pulp is eliminated and the coffee passes through some water channels until it reaches the fermentation tanks. In order to eliminate the mucilage, the coffee is submerged in water for approximately 24 hours. After this time, the coffee goes through some channels of water to finish removing the mucilage that may have adhered to the bean. The coffee is then dried on patios, raised stretchers or canopies.
Once the humidity reaches 11%, the coffee is taken to the Federation Cooperative where the batches are outlined one by one to mix the coffees.
Origins
Since 1850 coffee cultivation has spread from Santander to other regions, particularly towards Antioquia. This displacement became more effective between 1874 and 1900 and received a special impulse with the inauguration of the Railroad of Antioquia in 1893, that offered to the new coffee growers facilities to transport their harvests. From 1875 until 1925 Antioquia became the largest export producer. By the end of the 1920s, coffee accounted for almost 75% of the country’s total exports. In 1890 Colombia exported approximately 300,000 bags a year and by the early 1930s it exported more than 3 million. Today Colombia exports 12 million bags per year.
Today, Antioquia promotes the New Generation Coffee Camp that is celebrated in an extensive park on the outskirts of Medellin, capital of the region. This camp offers young coffee growers (ages between 20 to 30) the opportunity to improve the quality of their coffees by learning about brewing, fermentation, and how to taste them, but they also have the opportunity to socialize with more experienced coffee producers.
They also learn about how to promote their farms by building brand identity, using social media, and understanding what happens to coffee the moment it leaves the farm (i.e. the work of exporters, importers, roasters, and more.) They also receive practical lessons in barista skills.
11,50 € – 46 €
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