Colombia’s coffee trade is a plus

Article Excerpt

Colombian coffee is often regarded as among the highest quality in the world. The country has traditionally grown Arabica beans and its unique geography makes it perfectly suited for producing a delicious, high-quality brew. Colombia’s excellent growing conditions have been paired with an aggressive marketing campaign by the National Federation of Coffee Growers. That group has worked since the late 1950s to promote Colombia’s coffee to international buyers. The country has traditionally been second in global coffee production only to Brazil, but has been overtaken lately by Vietnam and the rapidly expanding production of rival Robusta coffees. Over 500,000 farms, most of them small landholdings of 5 hectares or less are scattered across the Zona Cafetera, some of the most biologically diverse landscape in the world. An estimated 2 million Colombians make a living from the coffee industry. The production of coffee in Colombia amounted to nearly 15 million 60-kilogram bags in 2019, or 10% of global production. The beans are exported to…