The Significance of Coffee
Coffee is the biggest export and the most popular drink in Colombia. For many Colombians, drinking coffee isn’t just to kickstart their mornings. Drinking coffee is also a form of social activity, a way to catch up with friends and family.
Coffee Production and Sustainable Practices
More than 50% of Colombia’s municipalities are coffee producers, and almost 4 million people rely on it for their income. Most growers are smallholder farmers that run it as a family business. Sustainable coffee farming practices include:
- Reusing coffee husks as heating fuel
- Filtering water from fermentation tanks to be used for coffee irrigation
- Spreading organic matter and fertilizers under and between the coffee trees
Colombian Coffee on the Global Stage
According to industry experts, Colombian coffee is recognized for its signature taste satisfying the expectations of high-class and rare coffees on the market. The scent is soft, sweet, and rich, with high acidity that attracts a large number of fans. Seed quality is stable, available year-round, meeting high export standards. As such, it is often chosen by roasters and suppliers. Colombia, with a level of exports of about 6 million bags per year, is the second-largest coffee exporting country in the world.
The Impact of Coffee on the Colombian Economy
Coffee cultivation accounts for 7 to 8 percent of the economy. The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest in Latin America. Between 2012 and 2014, it became the 3rd largest in Latin America by nominal GDP. The diffusion of coffee was greatly facilitated between 1874 and 1900 after the construction of the "Ferrocarril de Antioquia"; this made it much easier for coffee producers to transport their crops across the country.