Cafeology & The University of Sheffield - Cauca Visit 2018.
The following blog explains my trip with the University of Sheffield who we arranged a direct souring agreement with a coffee producer in the south of Colombia. This producer, Cencoic consists of indigenous farmers based in the southern region of Cauca.
The intention of this trip is to forge strong and sustainable relationships with our producer as well as see how the University of Sheffield can engage with potential projects over and above coffee sourcing to assist the growers association.
I was joined by Gavin Brown, Head of Commercial Services, Peter Anstess, General Manager of Retail Operations, Meg McGrath, Development Officer, University of Sheffield Students Union and Daniela Orrego Payan, a Colombian National who is studying at the University of Sheffield. Also joining us on the trip was Greg Morgan from Social Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Greg had been attending the Worldwide Universities Network AGM in Perth, Australia and came back via Bogota on his return journey.
Sadly we were also due to be joined by Professor Duncan Cameron, who is an expert on Plant and Soil Biology. Sadly Duncan’s father had a heart attack 2 days before the trip resulting in him being unable to make it. I wish Mr Cameron Senior a speedy recovery and thoughts are with Duncan and his family.
27 May 2018
It was an early start for a Bank Holiday weekend as the flight was via Madrid at 06.20. I decided to stay at Heathrow the evening before which hopefully assisted the tiredness although it didn’t feel like it when the alarm went off at 03.50.
Everything went to time and the connection for Bogota, despite leaving behind schedule, still arrived on time into Colombia’s capital.
Unfortunately my pick up was no where to be seen as there had been a mix up but our exporter Mariano was on hand to arrange another driver who took me to the hotel so all in all a very smooth journey.
Once checked into the hotel, Mariano had made arrangements to meet for dinner with his colleague Pablo. I have travelled in the Huila region with Pablo who originates from Uruguay but has worked in the Bogota office for a while now. It was good to catch up with them both and I appreciated them giving up family time on a Sunday night to join me.
The hotel is in a fantastic location called Zona T, in the heart of the shopping district close to all the bars and restaurants, a recommendation from Duncan!
I was very much looking forward to my first cold Club Colombia beer and was devastated to find out that my trip had clashed with the elections in Colombia. There is a total country wide ban on alcohol sales on Election Day..... so it was diet cokes all round with dinner.
It was probably for the best as I was getting a little tired so I headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.
As always, travelling west resulted in the natural alarm clock going off way too early! Thankfully I knew there was going to be a lot of coffee consumed and the excitement about being back in this fantastic country was once again getting the better of me.
After breakfast, I went for a walk around the local area, bustling with peeping horns, and a vibrancy which Colombia is famous for - it was good to be back in Bogota. At 2640m above sea level, the air is thinner here and the temperatures normally a steady 19 degrees. You will almost see rain every day and this day was certainly no different.
Mariano had arranged a pick up to the office around 12.45 and met me on arrival at ECTP. Unfortunately I needed ID to get into the offices and I had everything safely tucked away in the safe back at the hotel.
I eventually managed to retrieve an old photo of my passport on my phone from a trip to NYC a couple of years ago which, after much negotiation, the security accepted and I was finally in the building.
ECTP stands for Engelhart Commodities Trading Partners (formerly BTG Pactual) is a global commodity merchant and assists in the sourcing and exporting of all of our Colombian coffee.
I met up with Pablo and Marco and discussed in detail with Mariano our vision for the next 5 years in Colombia, also what we would like to achieve on this trip. It also gave me the opportunity to discuss the exciting plans with our new Roastery and give them an update on current challenges faced at our point in the supply chain.
After the meeting, I had chance to discover more of this amazing city whilst on foot touring many of the coffee bars including Tostao, a relatively new concept offering coffee and pastries at fantastically low prices. They are popping up everywhere.
I was very much looking forward to the evening to be reunited with Francisco (Pacho) and Norma from Asoapia as they had made the difficult journey from Risaralda especially to meet me.
We arranged to meet at my hotel at 7pm along with Mariano and headed out for drinks. There is a great bond between us and it was fantastic to catch up. It may have been quite an informal location (La Cerveceria), a bar round the corner, but Pacho armed with notepad got straight down to business. We discussed many things including microlots and also purchasing Organic from the farm whilst I managed to give him an update on the Roastery which he was delighted to hear about.
Thankfully the ban on alcohol had been and gone and we were enjoying the Club Colombia Roja as we waited for Greg Morgan to arrive from Perth via Santiago who would be joining us for Dinner.
Greg is the Head of International Partnerships at the University of Sheffield and had planned to join us on his way back from the Worldwide Universities Network AGM in Perth, Australia.
Greg has spent considerable time in Colombia (not to mention many other conflict areas in the world) so it was good to catch up out here in Bogota.
After introductions, we moved on for dinner. Pacho was very tired and after the fantastic meal, Pacho, Norma and Mariano left. Greg and I weren’t far behind them.
Food in Colombia can be quite rich but from my experience it is always very good. The levels of hygiene in Colombia are extremely high and if you enjoy meat, you won’t go far wrong in Colombia.
My guests from the University of Sheffield were on the red eye flight direct from London which meant they landed in Bogota at 4am. I had arranged a pick up for them and due to the early hours they were checked in at the hotel by 5am. Thankfully their rooms were ready which allowed them the chance for a couple of hours rest.
We met down at breakfast at 8am and it was good to see them here in Bogota after nearly 9 months of planning. Making the trip was Gavin Brown, Director of Commercial Services, Peter Anstess, General Manager, Retail Operations, Megan McGrath, Development Officer, Students Union and Daniela Payan A post grad student studying Management and Entrepreneurship. Daniela only learnt of the trip on 24 hours before departure following the very sad news regarding Duncan’s father.
After the introductions and a brief by me of the itinerary, we headed off to the offices again of ECTP, all armed with ID! We were met once again by Mariano. Pacho and Norma were already on site.
After the introductions, we discussed many areas of how the University of Sheffield may be able to assist the cooperative through different programs which Greg was interested to investigate further. We also discussed current pricing and the opportunity of securing micro lots on the next container. This will give total traceability to our customers whilst offering exclusivity for customers wishing to have a unique coffee.
This also gave us the opportunity to present the brand new Roastology packaging specifically with its own unique label for Pacho and Asoapia. Not only were Pacho and Norma impressed but Peter and Gavin expressed interest for some of the retail packs to be sold across some of the retail outlets.
It is always great to catch up with Pacho and I thought it was a good time to invite him over to the UK next year to celebrate 10 years of this fantastic direct trade partnership.
Time was now cracking on as Pacho and Norma were heading off to Pereira so we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
In the afternoon we planned a trip up to Monserrate, a stunning Monastery at the highest point in Bogota which gives the most amazing views of this huge city. Situated at 3152m above sea level, you reach the summit via a cable car or funicular. As Bogota is built on a plane with very little hills, you get an incredible scale of the size and sprawl of the area.
We travelled up by cable car although I think Gavin and Peter were contemplating the steep walk, thankfully the cable car won.
Once at the top it was photo time - and lots of them as it was clear (for the time being), then the weather closed in at incredible speed and the rain came down. Time was cracking on so we decided to head back down as we had a meeting scheduled at The Los Andes Universidad organised by Greg with a little help from our in house Colombian, Daniela.
We were hosted by Yadira Mongollón - Head of Mobility Office International Affairs and Camilo Villa Moreno - Head of Cooperation for Research & Networks, Office of International Affairs and given a tour of the University including faculty of engineering and of course all the coffee and food outlets with Gavin and Peter taking notes. The university is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year which despite being relatively new is one of the leading Universities in Colombia. It is relatively small with only 19000 students, 15,000 undergraduates and only 450 doctorates.
There are many foreign students attending the University including UK representation from Loughborough,Essex and Bristol, two of which I proudly added that we work with.
Yadira gifted us with some coffee as she advised that the farmer is an Alumni of the University. A really nice touch and once again it shows how wide spread the coffee industry is throughout this magnificent country..
Following the tour, it was time to say our goodbyes and we ordered a cab just as the heavens opened. With that, totalled with Bogota rush hour traffic, it was going to be a long journey back. It took 90 minutes to do the 9 mile trip - welcome to Bogotá’s shocking traffic problem!
It was a quick change at the hotel as we were guests of Tiffany Kohl, a good friend of mine at the biggest event in Bogota on a Tuesday night, Gringo Tuesdays. Tiffany is the founder of this amazing concept wishing to connect people visiting Bogota from all over the globe. The event now attracts over a thousand people every Tuesday and has won national acclaim as the place to be.
We weren’t disappointed, it was an amazing party with a very friendly and welcoming feel. I do however think we may have been the only true Gringo’s in the place...... Unfortunately due to the timings, those who had only arrived that morning were beginning to flag so we didn’t test it to the full but still managed to have a fantastic night - thanks Tiffany!
Daniela and Meg left a short time before us and we headed for a steak around the corner before retiring back to the hotel. Even Greg and I were ready for some sleep but fair play to Peter, he had managed 46 hours without bed although I think he was gutted not to do the extra couple of hours!
This morning allowed us all to have a leisurely breakfast before heading to the airport which I think was welcomed by all. Despite this the majority of us were awake at the crack of dawn. The morning allowed me to clear some emails and arrange transportation as well as sorting out the bills for the guests as it was all on one booking. Thankfully it was Daniela to the rescue, this Gringo from Sheffield was struggling to string two words together in Spanish.
I had booked a minibus allowing us plenty of time for the Bogota traffic to get us to the airport. Today and Thursday were going to be the main event so my stress level was beginning to get a hold on me as the cab was running late. We only had this window to get to Cauca as there are only two flights a day with the other one in the evening which would have resulted in missing the afternoons visit to the parchment mill. The cab eventually arrived 40 mins late due to...traffic!
It was a nervous journey through the city but luckily the traffic was being kind to us.
Thankfully we arrived and met Mariano at the airport and our flight to Popayán left on time as the turbo prob steered through the rather threatening gathering clouds. The flight was just over an hour passing over some dramatic scenery, common with virtually anywhere in Colombia.
The airport at Popayán is tiny and the bags were off loaded rather promptly and then the carousel stopped with both Peter and Gavin still waiting for their bags. Sadly they were still in Bogotá. They were both pretty cool about it but it was a little concerning as Peter had packed a drone that he had recently purchased and wanted to get some footage at the farm.
Thankfully Avianca had located both bags and sent them with the evenings flight and they were delivered to the hotel so issue averted.
We then bundled ourselves into taxis and headed to the hotel Dann Monasterio in the town. The hotel was superb, 16th century monastery, it was very traditional. We checked in and headed for lunch. We were greeted with an almighty storm, but the temperature was mild allowing us lunch on the covered patio.
After lunch we were due to head off to the Cencoic parchment mill which is the other side of Popayán. Although my room was fabulous it backed on to the main road and if you’ve ever travelled in Colombia, you’ll realise that blasting horns, many with multi tones appears to be a very popular pastime country wide!
I decided to relocate, which the hotel staff couldn’t be more obliging. Little did I realise it was going to turn into the most stressful 45 minutes of the whole trip.
I moved everything out of the room and into the new, quiet room and began to unpack the small amount of items. At this point I realised I couldn’t locate my passport - cue brain racking followed by melt down.
I checked the old room, new room, reception desk and nowhere to be seen. Everyone was now waiting in reception including the taxi drivers, how embarrassing!
Mariano and one of the staff came up to the first room I checked into and were really helpful. I checked the safe one more time and it had got wedged upright behind the door - what a feeling.
I rejoined the group and offered my sincere apologies to all with many offering a chuckle knowing panic was over.
We then headed the short drive to the mill and met with Recardo, who manages the Parchment Mill. Ricardo is a very passionate gent and very accommodating and showed us around the facility allowing many photos to be taken as well as another delicious coffee. Ricardo also has his own coffee farm and grows coffee for Cencoic.
We were then taken to the offices of Cencoic where I was reunited with Elisabeth Meneses Sandoval who I met in Seattle at the SCA in April 2017. Elisabeth is the Export Manager and was involved in the very first talks about the vision we had for the exclusive direct trade for the University of Sheffield. It was lovely to see her again and meet the team.
We were then given a presentation (and more fabulous coffee) by Hernan Vincente Castellanos who is the Coordinator in the Coffee Department. This was extremely informative and helped the University gain a greater insight into the set up and challenges faced by this indigenous group as well as their vision for the future.
Following the presentation, we were invited downstairs for a cupping session of 14 different coffees. It was great to see how the University embraced it and the guys hosting it were very accommodating and light hearted which led to a fun hour.
Both Greg and I choose #4 which also matched that of the staff and Mariano so we have a secret cupper in the Social Sciences department at the University of Sheffield. We found out later that the winning coffee was actually from Ricardo’s farm, the chap who runs the Parchment warehouse.
Following the cupping, we left the offices all together around 9pm and headed off for a ‘couple’ of beers and some food with Elisabeth and the team - it is just so wonderful how inclusive the group is with staff regardless of their position. During the meal we discussed the World of Coffee event in Amsterdam which was a fortnight away. I was delighted to learn that Elisabeth would be attending the event and explained that we will be showcasing our new roaster there. We agreed to meet on Friday 22 June at the expo.
We also discussed the possibility of the General Manager, Juan Carlos visiting the University of Sheffield after the event. This will be quite tight to achieve but it would be amazing to show Juan Carlos how the Cencoic coffee is being showcased at the University.
Daniela was very excited as her parents happened to be in the town that evening. Her father was giving a talk at the Hotel we were actually staying in - what an unbelievable coincidence. Naturally Daniela spent a brief time with her Mum & Dad which was lovely to see.
We had a great evening but perhaps a little later than anticipated as our hosts showed they too are fans of Club Colombia.
It was an early start with lots of anticipation in the team as we were heading to the farms and for Gavin, Peter and Meg, this would be their first time seeing coffee growing -always a magical experience.
We were met by Elisabeth and Hernan with three cars ready for the trip out to Caldono. I encouraged both Peter and Gavin to travel in the front seats to get phots of the journey, something later which Gavin didn’t thank me for given the standard of driving out in the countryside.....
We travelled for around 90 minutes before reaching the drying farm and parchment station run by Cecilia, a lady who Toni and I had met at the first meeting in Seattle which was lovely to now see her operation. The facility was immaculate, clearly lots of pride taken here.
Cicilia showed us how each of the certifications have their own designated rooms and in the region they are growing certified and non certified coffees. Out the back of the mill was a covered raised African Drying Beds. This is a patio which is elevated to to allow air to circulate the beans as they lay on wire mesh. There are several different methods of drying but this allows you to maximise space as and allow the moisture to drain generally resulting in better quality.
We were made so welcome and personally I was very impressed at the cleanliness of the area and the quality of the parchment. Gavin, Peter and Meg then passed gifts to some of the staff which was a lovely touch and very well received.
Peter and I were then given a bag, made in the town which was a lovely touch. Time was creeping on so we had to leave but it was great to see Cicilia again and proved a fabulous insight for team Sheffield.
We then made the short (and steady) trip to the farm, poor Greg was in a Suzuki car which probably isn’t the best when travelling off road and rolling close behind, it did appear to take a few hits on the route - At one stage they were reconstructing the road and they flattened part of the road to allow Greg’s car through - something which typifies this fantastic country and the amazing people.
We visited two farms, El Eden and La Esmeralda which allowed the guys to see the full process. This included seeing the washing station, the Pulping Machine and of course the drying bed - once again using covered African beds.
The terrain here was extremely steep but what made it worse was the recent rain which made it very difficult to keep upright.
We all thought we were well prepared but clearly the locals had greater experience of such challenges. Elisabeth led us down to the farm with me constantly asking her to slow down. Behind me was Daniela who slipping over more time than me on skis.
When we reached the farm we were now missing Gavin and Peter, two of the finest athletes in the Commercial Services. Finally we heard them approaching with Peter in hysterics and a rather muddy Gavin following on. Gavin had taken an almighty tumble and had now written off most of his clothing. We were informed that Peter had sympathetically rushed to get his camera out prior to assisting Gavin back to his feet. The question is, would Gavin have done the same ....
We were greeted by Floresmino at El Eden farm along with his wife and daughter. The farms here are all run by indigenous people so the language barrier is quite a challenge as it is quite far removed from Latin American Spanish. Despite Mariano being fluent in English and Spanish, words such as ‘university’ are difficult for the people to understand.
Floresmino’s family as long as he’s aware, which is several generations have been involved in the production of coffee and of course it is his wish that this continues with his children. Floresmino has run El Eden farm for 5 years. The farm is situated at 1726m with the main arabica varietals of Cattura and Catuai.
They have a primary and secondary harvest here and they were just coming to the end of the second harvest.
Life is very tough here and the farmers face many challenges but the help and support given from Cencoic really does make a huge difference.
After seeking permission from Floresmino, it was time for Peter to take to the skies (well his drone at least). Could this be the moment for Gavins payback as his drone would disappear towards the equator or end in a horrendous nose dive into the wilderness... This was not to be as The take off was smoother than that of a Avianca ATR Turbo Prop. With such concentration (and lots of pressure) the drone was off, flying high over the area.
It was attracting unwanted attention from the Vultures circling high above us but after a few minutes, the Peter brought it back down with an equally smooth landing - Peter you smashed it! Personally I can’t wait to see the footage provided he pressed the record button....
We then visited the pulping station and saw the compost area where the cherries are turned into fertiliser to assist the soil when planting new trees.
It was then time to head back up the hill and meet Antonio at La Esmeralda farm. We travelled deep into the plantations and saw lots of stunning coffee growing all at different stages from green through to red. Antonia picked oranges fresh from the tree which went down an absolute treat - I think Megan wanted to take a sack full home!
I showed the guys how sweet the coffee cherry is as they chewed the fruit around the bean being careful not to bite on the cherry. It has a beautiful sweet flavour and sticky mucilage surrounding the bean.
Whilst Meg and Daniela were getting tucked into the oranges, Peter went for a wonder with Gavin, once again, what was going to happen. This time it was payback for Gavin as Peter almost disappeared as he descended down a hole at great speed. Thankfully both incidents only resulted in a increase in cleaning bills and nothing else.
As we returned to the farm, Gavin decided to see how long it would take for him to pick 41 cherries (the approximate amount used in a single shot of espresso). This was a great exercise to show this part of the long process to get the coffee to your cup. It took a total of 51 seconds which highlights once again the skill and effort required to pick coffee on a grand scale. All our coffee at Cafeology is hand picked.
Once we returned to the farm we were given freshly squeezed Pineapple juice by Antonia’s wife and more fresh orange. The guys from the University then distributed more gifts to the workers at La Esmeralda farm before departing for the journey back.
We were at an altitude of just under 1800m which did feel very high. It does however make you realise the height of Bogota which is considerably higher at 2640m making it one of the worlds highest capital cities.
The journey back was fairly uneventful as we headed back to Popayan in plenty of time for our flight back to Bogota.
We said our goodbyes at the Hotel Dann Monasterio, something which I always find slightly emotional but happy to know we would be meeting again in Amsterdam very soon.
I handed out some gifts including our ‘Made in Sheffield’ cupping spoons before Elisabeth and the team departed.
We had just enough time for a late lunch at the hotel before heading to the airport for the short journey back to Bogota.
Once again we left to time and arrived into Bogota slightly early. Thankfully all the cases arrived with us and we were met at the airport and taken back to the hotel.
Time was now ticking on so we checked in briefly and headed out to the restaurant/bar next door called Andres and recapped on what a magical experience the visit to Cencoic was.
I believe this unique partnership with Cencoic and the University of Sheffield can be something which benefits the producer greatly. In addition to forming long and sustainable relationships, I believe my client can bring areas of expertise and help to the producer over and above that of paying a fair price for coffee.
Working with such departments as Plant and Social Sciences brings a whole new dimension to coffee sourcing and something I feel can offer huge benefits to our producers as we look at ways of assisting this magnificent process.
