Though the world is undergoing massive market changes in every industry, specialty Colombian coffee growers in the lush mountains of Antioquia prepare for their busiest season. The main harvest.
These are scary times for the world but coffee lovers all over the world know that getting your morning brew is more important than ever. Colombian growers in Antioquia are taking all the necessary precautions to ensure another flawless and safe harvest.
What has Changed for Colombian Specialty Coffee?
Growers have had to accommodate market changes that have affected their day to day operations. They’ve also had to invest time and resources on equipment and proper training to ensure everyone’s safety during the current Covid era.
Colombia’s lush mountains and picturesque coffee regions have greatly benefited from being on nutrient-rich volcanic soils. Soils that highly affect the taste of the region’s coffee. In Antioquia, (the department of which the city of Medellin is the capital) the coffee is famous for its sweet, fruity and chocolate notes. These flavors make it a renowned region for coffee lovers all over the world.
However, the region which is known for its mountains and peaks requires coffee picking to be done manually. Sadly, the COVID era has added an extra level of difficulty to this already arduous task.
How has COVID Affected Colombian Green Coffee Farms?
Here at Cafelumbus, we take safety measures very seriously at our coffee farms. Which is why we are constantly training our team to exceed government issued safety standards. Though the pandemic has affected sales tremendously, this year’s weather has been optimal for high-quality beans.
Through workshops orchestrated by our head of safety in the workplace, Cristina, and our administrative team at each one of our farms, we’ve established biosecurity protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of our pickers.
Roughly 60% of our staff for our main harvest has been outsourced to increase productivity. However, this is a bigger responsibility for us as we are now in charge of the safety and working conditions of more people during this time. It is a big responsibility but a small price to pay for increased productivity and efficiency.
Day to Day Operations at Cafelumbus’ Coffee Farms
The head of operations for our 5 farms, Sergio Alvarez said of our processes. “It is of utmost importance to establish protocols and great health insurance to be able to bring in new team members. The work is done at one of our biggest farms, La Colombia has had fantastic results and set the standard so that the other 4 farms may follow suit.”
Each farm needs a qualified manager that is in charge of day to day operations. An educated coffee savant that knows the ins and outs of business best practices. Additionally, have good people skills and be knowledgeable about safety protocols that need to be implemented daily. Items such as the use of masks, social distancing, continuous washing of hands, disinfecting work stations as well as common areas.
Those who enter these fincas, both suppliers and fellow workers need to walk by cleaning and disinfecting area. Each person has his or her designated station and is in charge of keeping their areas tidy. Our farms are also separated and each employee, in order to ensure safety must stay on their farms. It was a tough pill to swallow the first few months, but we are all aware that this is to keep us all safe as well as our products.
Wrapping up
The COVID Era has surely changed life for everyone and we are no exception. But we are learning to live in the midst of a global pandemic and we continuously work hard to always deliver the best quality Colombian Specialty Coffee. From our farms delivered to your kitchens every morning.
