Civil war and drug trafficking tore Colombian communities apart. For over 50-years, people in Cauca and Antioquia made a living through growing coca; the base ingredient for cocaine. It paid but brought a lot of unrest and violence to the regions for decades.
Then, in 2016, the Colombian government and the Farc announced a ceasefire; the first step towards peace after a 52-year conflict that left 220.000 people deceased and 6-million displaced. But besides ongoing peace-negotiations, specialty coffee is laying the groundwork for peace because it pays.
One of the peace initiatives in Colombia is Coffee for Peace; an alliance of coffee farmers, exporter/importers, and roasters. Coffee for Peace aims to develop and promote traceable coffees from historic conflict zones in Colombia, like Cauca and Antioquia.
Coffee for Peace organizes the Best of Cauca and Best of Antioquia auctions that stimulate growers to invest in coffee. A local jury cups each lot, choosing the top 40 lots. From there an international jury cups the 40 lots and selects the top 20 coffees for the auction.
Fradiviel Rojas Serna’s coffee (PBO200189-01) is sweet, smooth, clean, and has a citric acidity. You’ll find notes of vanilla, milk chocolate, caramel, and tobacco in the cup. Fradiviel’s lot made it to the top 20 of the Best of Antioquia and is packed in 24 kg boxes – just 29 boxes remain on spot.
The Antioquia Reserve (PBO200183-01) placed between positions 21 and 40 during the auction. The coffee has a round creamy mouthfeel, vibrant citric acidity, and notes of dark chocolate, almonds, hazelnut, and butterscotch. The Antioquia Reserve is packed in 70 kg bags and we have 30 bags left.
The Antioquia Blend (PBO200190-01) is a community lot. A blend of coffees that did not make the final auction, but still taste amazing. The blend offers a sweet, smooth cup with notes of lemon, caramel, and chocolate. We have 30x 70 kg in our warehouse.
And lastly, the Cauca Blend (PBO200177-01). This is a community lot from the Cauca smallholders. The Cauca Blend offers a high sharp citric acidity, medium body, and notes strong notes of berry. We have 30x 70 kg on spot.