Thanks to Juan Valdez, it’s arguable that Colombian coffee is the best known in the world. But few have tasted the finest coffees the country has to offer.

In Perspective

Coffee first landed on the shores of Colombia in the late 17th century. Today the country produces 12% of all coffee grown in the world – second only to Brazil as the world’s top coffee producing country. In 1927, the country formed the Colombian Coffee Federation, forming an alliance among coffee growers to help commercialize their product. Today the Federation is over 500,000 growers strong and is charged with commercializing nearly all of the coffee grown in Colombia. While this has helped support the small-scale farmers that make up the vast majority of coffee growers in the country, it has led to mediocre, non-descript Colombian coffee flooding supermarket shelves throughout the United States.

Through the Federation, coffee from various growing groups is processed and blended together, largely eliminating the unique flavorful lots of coffee found when sourcing from one particular group. Colombian coffee is categorized by grade - Supremo, Extra, and Excelso – rather than origin and as a result much of the time it is difficult to determine where, how and in what climate the coffee was grown.

A Quality Cup

Luckily, with the good fortune and direction of our importing cooperative – Cooperative Coffees – we are pleased to offer a true single-origin Colombian organic and fair trade coffee – direct from the farmers of Fondo Paez in the department of Cauca. Our Colombian Fondo Paez Medium Roast is full-bodied with delicate notes of caramel ending in a smooth finish.

Fondo Paez

Positioned in the Cordillera Central and composed of Colombia’s largest indigenous group – the Nasa (“the people” in their native language) – the Paez people are in the unfortunate position of being caught in the middle of an on-going civil war. Taking a stance of non-violence, the farmers of Fondo Paez remain neutral as the now half century- long civil war continues throughout their land.

The struggle for indigenous rights and peace guide the farmers of Fondo Paez as they work to retain their ancestral farming practices with the help of Fundacion Colombia Nuestra. In addition to cultivating coffee the farmers are educating their community in seed collecting, native bean and corn cultivation and other methods of providing a healthy diet for their families.

Click here to purchase coffee from this cooperative.