Inspirations

Ethical practices and authentic Colombian coffee

For coffee lovers looking for a full-bodied beverage with chocolatey notes, Colombian Arabica beans are a perfect choice. Delicately tart at first, followed by a light bitterness, our Van Houtte® Colombian Dark Signature coffee is a beautiful expression of Colombian coffee growing. Want to know more? Here’s where it comes from. Picture a family farm with about two hectares of land on a lush green mountain. Proud coffee growers who have been dedicated to producing the best coffee for generations live there. This is the reality of many of the people who are behind this coffee. And many work together to sell their coffee through their local farmer cooperative. Here is the story of one of those coops.

Favourite Coffee

A Cooperative with a mission

Coocentral is a Fairtrade-certified cooperative in the Huila region. Forty-five years in the making, it now unites more than 3,200 families of coffee-growing entrepreneurs. For Coocentral members, belonging to a Fairtrade cooperative makes it possible to be economically viable, ecologically sustainable and socially responsible. Fairtrade premiums support the development of initiatives that Coocentral is implementing for its coffee farmers. For example, Mujeres Cafeteras aims to recognize the role of women throughout the history of Colombian coffee growing. Today, more than 400 women are part of this continuous education program that reinforces their knowledge of the world of coffee, best farming techniques and bean processing. Coocentral also provides its members with youth education programs, financial support for purchasing equipment and projects to improve housing for its coffee farmers.

When you buy Fairtrade-certified products, you help organizations like Coocentral support their farmers who, in turn, produce the delightfully unique taste of coffee enjoyed by connoisseurs around the world.

A fair trade and traceable product

Fair trade refers to established social and environmental criteria and a better price for farmers. Fair trade coffee has a minimum price, which guarantees that even if the average price of a pound of coffee falls on the international market, the price of the fair trade product cannot fall below a certain threshold. In addition, for every pound of green coffee sold under fair trade conditions, the producer organization earns an extra 20 cents that goes directly into a community development fund.

Van Houtte® Colombian Dark Signature coffee is also part of a traceability project. This means that thanks to blockchain technology, you can follow this Signature coffee along every step of its journey, from the Colombian coffee cooperatives to your cup. It’s a 100% Fairtrade-certified circuit and a single-origin product.

An authentic Colombian flavour

What exactly does single-origin coffee mean? It’s a product whose beans come from a single country. This creates a distinctive flavour and taste profile unique to a particular region of the world, as each one has its own soil and agricultural processes. Similar to wine, terroir strongly influences the taste of coffee.

Colombian coffee is so famous because it is the result of a practice that has been developed since 1730, mainly in the Andean region known as Eje Cafetero (coffee zone). Nearly three centuries of expertise later, we bring you the Van Houtte® Colombian Dark Signature, a deliciously full-bodied Arabica coffee. Its strong chocolate notes are balanced by subtle fruity nuances and a vibrant, lingering acidity. Caramelized and woody aromas with a touch of dried fruit and tobacco are also present.

Photos: Coocentral Cooperative