Sustainable Coffee from Agro-ecological Fincas
Hand-picked and sun-dried coffee beans directly purchased at fair prices from individual fincas, roasted and packed in Colombia
Project Facts
Location
Colombia
El Cairo, Valle del Cauca
Applied Financing Solutions
Private Equity, Public-Private Partnership
Project Dates
Start: 2019
In operation since/from: 2020
The Story
Café Comam is an organic specialty coffee directly sourced from Colombian coffee farmers at a fair price above stock market levels. To support local value chains, the coffee is roasted and packed directly on site. In collaboration with the environmental organization Serraniagua in El Cairo, Valle del Cauca, who support the farmers in the organic coffee production, the Austrian entrepreneur Natalie Weiß started to export this sustainable and fair product to Austria in 2019. The main goals of her venture are to enable a sustainable development of the local communities, stop deforestation, maintain the high biodiversity of the region and support farmers to adapt to climate change by the means of a sustainable coffee production.
In the natural reserve of Serranía de los Paraguas coffee is grown organically on agro-ecological fincas with shade trees. In harmony with nature, monocultures and chemical inputs are avoided and instead biodiversity is promoted. The farmers are thus better adapted to climate change and benefit from the shade-giving trees, which block extreme sunlight, absorb heavy rainfall and shield against cold spells. The area is characterized by a particularly high biodiversity of global importance and perfect climatic conditions that give the coffee its unique flavor.
Success Factor | Hero Moment
An important success factor for the project is the good collaboration with the environmental organization Serraniagua, a community network of nature reserves and agro-ecological fincas aiming to protect and conserve the biodiversity of the region and to create a sustainable agricultural production network. During a 2-month stay of the project leader in El Cairo a direct relationship with Serraniagua and the coffee farmers evolved. She learned about everything that is behind a cup of coffee, shared the coffee travel story via social media (0diebohne) and successfully started her direct trade project.
Submitter
Private project "nulldiebohne" by Natalie Weiß, Austria
Other Involved Stakeholders
Community-based environmental organization Serraniagua
Contact Mail
mail@nulldiebohne.coffee
Website
www.nulldiebohne.at
