An initiative to support women coffee producers.

Women play a vital role, taking part in every stage of the supply chain but often handling the most time-consuming, most seasonal and lowest-paid tasks (like sowing, harvesting and sorting). Studies show that when women manage household income, there are many benefits: better child education, health, economic stability and overall family wellbeing.

For 10 years, we have been taking practical action to protect and develop forests through our Forest Coffees® brand

Forest Coffees® are ultra-high-quality coffees grown in well-preserved environments. Our trademark recognizes the know-how of local farmers and their in-depth knowledge of coffee agroforestry techniques. It illustrates the model’s environmental, social and economic merits.

Agroforestry allows farmers to diversify their income: agricultural production, timber and firewood, fodder, fruit, honey, etc. And thus reduce the vulnerability of the producer with less dependence on a single crop. The impact on biodiversity and soil quality is also considerable.

Fresh Coffee Clean Ocean: Our brand that guarantees you a decarbonized sea transport by 70 to 90% for your coffees.

Meeting El Maestro: Don Herbert Betancourt

All our products available to customise with your designs

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Products with minor defects, missing or damaged packaging

Produits avec défaut mineur, packaging manquant ou abîmé

&nbsp;Colombia produces exclusively Arabica, because Robusta is neither supported nor authorized by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, the FNC. This means we cannot export Robusta because there can be no certificate of origin, and because no phytosanitary rules have been established for this type of coffee. Coffee production is the main source of employment in rural areas.&nbsp;
The coffee-growing regions are mountainous areas. 90% of producers have very small plantations (0.80 hectares on average). The average age of a grower is 53. Many producers practice mixed farming to diversify their income (chickens, eggs, etc.). Numerous local associations and cooperatives have been set up to help growers through the various stages of the supply chain: growing, harvesting, post-harvest processing, transport, packaging, projects and certification.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ed in infrastructure and technological equipment for the low-income scho

Colombia is located at the north-western tip of South America and covers an area of 1,141,748 km². It is bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. It is crossed from north to south by the Andes mountain range, which divides into three branches near its southern end: the Cordillera Occidental, the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Oriental. To the east of the Cordillera Oriental lie the Orinoco river, the Llanos plain and the Colombian Amazon. Colombia’s other mountain ranges include the Serranía del Baudó and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Six of their summits stand higher than 5,000 metres. The different climates are determined by the amount of rainfall. In the plains and lowlands (situated at an altitude of less than 500 metres), the average temperature is 25 °C. The mountains and valleys located at altitudes of over 500 metres have a wide diversity of climates. They can be very humid, rainy, dry, and even very dry. The country’s size and geographical diversity partly explain the great aromatic diversity and the different harvest periods.&nbsp;

Brazil is the world’s leading coffee producer, ahead of Vietnam and Colombia. It supplies around one third of global production. Suffice to say, it calls the shots on the stock market.&nbsp;
Brazil boasts a light intensity and regular rainfall that allow crops to be grown in full sun. Most regions are flat, some are irrigated. Widespread introduction of mechanical harvesting and farming operations have more than doubled yields over the last 10 years, without increasing the planted surface area.​&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;The 4 main production areas are:​&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Minas Gerais (Cerrado, Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais, Mountains and Minas Chapada)​&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>State of Bahia&nbsp;</li>
<li>State of Espirito Santo&nbsp;</li>
<li>State of Sao Paulo&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

&nbsp;Brazil is huge, covering a total surface area of 8,547,877 km², which is 15 times the size of France. It spreads over almost half of the South American continent. It shares borders with Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname. Brazil’s size, landscape, climate and rich soils make it an extremely rich and diverse country.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Its coffee plantations cover some 27,000 km², mainly in the southern states of Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo and Paraná, whose environment and climate offer ideal growing conditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Guatemala has grown coffee since the mid-17th century. There are currently more than 305,000 hectares of coffee, representing 2.8% of national soil and spreading across the country’s 22 departments. 98% of producers grow coffee on a small scale, and less than 1% are large-scale farmers. Over 80% of the coffee exported is of a high quality, what we call a “SHB” (strictly hard bean) grade. Coffee is the second most important agricultural export after sugar. There are 8 coffee-growing regions. The highest production volume was recorded between, with 5 million bags of coffee, before the 2011 crisis hit.

Guatemala has numerous microclimates, explained by altitudes ranging from 0 to 4,211 metres. There are 37 volcanoes, which produce a soil ideal for coffee growth, as well as numerous mountains and rivers. It is also bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.&nbsp;&nbsp;

El Salvador is a land of volcanoes. There are 23 throughout the country, 5 of which are active. The country has a surface area of 21,041 km², making it the smallest in Central America. It has an essentially mountainous topography, although the Pacific coast that runs down the side of the country is flat. Its highest point is El Pital, which stands at 2,730 metres. In terms of climate, it has a wet season, a dry season, and tropical weather all year round.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Manos de Mujer project focuses on the women producers of the Asoagrotol Galilea cooperative in Colombia, which has been certified organic since 2019.

The Bio label guarantees products from organic farming that comply with the requirements of European legislation.

Pink Bourbon is a rare and elegant Arabica variety originating from southern Huila, Colombia. It’s believed to be a natural hybrid between Red and Yellow Bourbon, resulting in cherries with a distinctive pink hue. This variety is celebrated for its bright, refined cup profile, often combining the sweetness of tropical fruits with floral aromas and vibrant citrus acidity. When grown at high altitudes and carefully processed, Pink Bourbon offers exceptional clarity, balance, and complexity — a true gem among Colombian coffees.&nbsp;

LES ORIGINES DE LA VARIÉTÉ WUSH WUSH
De nombreuses variétés portent le nom de l'endroit où elles ont été découvertes. Wush Wush ne fait pas exception. Wushwush est une petite région du sud-ouest de l'Éthiopie, non loin des régions de culture renommées de Jimma et Sidamo. La région de Wushwush est connue pour ses hauts plateaux fertiles. Wush wush est donc une variété Heirloom d’Ethiopie, non descendante des lignées Bourbon ou Typica tout comme sa cousine, la variété Geisha. L'arbuste possède de grandes feuilles, il est robuste avec un système racinaire solide.
UN ESSOR EN COLOMBIE
La variété Wush Wush est arrivée en Colombie il y a environ 30 ans et depuis sa production n’a cessé de se répandre, comme le Geisha au Panama.
UNE TASSE DONT ON SE SOUVIENT
Cela ne serait pas objectif de parler d’un seul profil de tasse pour une variété. Mais on peut quand même qualifier la tasse Wush Wush de ronde, exotique et florale souvent comparée au Geisha. Avec son profil de tasse distinctif, les grains de Wush Wush ont également un aspect non conventionnel, plus petits et donc plus denses. Ces caractéristiques physiques complexifient la torréfaction qui doit prendre en compte à la fois sa forte densité (résistance à la chaleur puis conductivité forte) et sa petite taille (distance faible jusqu'au coeur du grain). Sachant cela, la variété peut être mise en valeur à travers la cuisson pour révéler sa sucrosité, sa délicatesse et sa complexité.
UNE VARIÉTÉ D’AVENIR
En plus d’offrir une tasse complexe et différenciante, la culture du wush wush à l’origine est solide. Cette variété s’acclimate parfaitement à de nombreux terroirs et à de nombreux climats. Le wush wush résiste bien aux sécheresses, à la pluie et à des températures chaudes comme froides en haute altitude. Un vrai caméléon ce wush wush.
Moins sensible face aux maladies et notamment face à la rouille, il peut avoir un rendement d’environ 1kg de café en parche par an et par arbuste. Les variétés résistantes sont de plus en plus recherchées par les producteurs qui anticipent de nouvelles pratiques agricoles en vue du changement climatique. Le wush wush est aussi une variété parfaite pour tout type d’expérimentation sur les process : fermentation anaérobique, lactique, acétique, thermique…
En bref wush wush coche toutes les cases.&nbsp;

Belco, Sudus Coffee and Delonghi have made a commitment to sustainability by developing the “Flower Corridors” project.
This initiative by Sudus, together with a team of botanists, biologists and entomologists, involves planting corridors of flowers and shade trees on the Quindío farms selected for the project.
Nurseries for flowering plants and shade trees will be built, and training will be provided on the impact and benefits of biodiversity and shade in coffee growing.&nbsp;

High Nature Value: FAF Coffees has developed an indicator to measure the level of sustainability of farms.

DECAFFEINATION WITH E.A - SUGAR CANE - BEHIND THE DOORS OF DESCAFECOL PLANT
We continue our field visits with Descafecol plant in Colombia. The aim of those visits is to stress the idea on which we base our research: decaffeination processes must be synonymous with good quality coffee. We have decided to arrange this tour of plant visits in the spirit of providing an enriching experience that will allow us to communicate more and better on the coffees with which Belco works as well as about the partners or players together with whom we are responsible of ensuring traceability and quality in the coffee that arrives at the roasters’.
Descafecol is located in Manizales, one of the main special coffees region in Colombia. It was created in 1988 and is the only decaffeination plant in Colombia.
Decaffeination with Ethyl Acetate, derived from sugar cane
During the plant visit, Mauricio Jaramillo -Commercial Director- and Sven Dabelstein -General Manager- explained the way in which Ethyl acetate (EA) acts, adding that it is a natural component present in some fruits, especially in ripe fruit.
What is EA?
Ethyl acetate (EA) as is a solvent derived from sugar cane which, used in proper conditions and in adequate amounts, is an excellent selective remover of caffeine.
Decaffeination with EA follows a 6-step process:
1. Expansion: The first stage of the process consists of exposing the bean to a steam treatment with the purpose of opening the pores and expanding the bean.
2. Removal: The bean is then immersed into EA, whereby the caffeine present in the coffee bean adheres to the liquid. This process shall be repeated 6 successive times with fresh fluid, free from caffeine.
3. Pure caffeine
4. Drying: the drying process is performed in vacuum dryers, which allows for quick and homogeneous drying.
5. Cooling: the beans are then cooled in a ventilated silo in order to lower their temperature and to keep them from continuing to lose moisture
6. Polishing
In addition to the decaffeination treatment, two types of quality control are undertaken in Descafecol’s laboratory. The first is a physical and chemical analysis of the bean that seeks to measure the residual amount of caffeine, which must not exceed 0.1%, and the residual EA, which must amount to a maximum of 20ppm.
The second analysis measures the organoleptic properties of the coffee, comparing its profiles before and after the decaffeination process.
Some data from the extraction
It should also be noted that these stages are defined based on time, caffeine saturation, and waxes in the liquid (EA). However, the reusage of the EA will have its limitations, given that DESCAFECOL will analyze in its laboratory the deterioration of the EA’s chemical structure and, based on the results, will define whether it is to be reused or discarded.
What happens with the residual caffeine?
The caffeine recovered from the process is of great value in the pharmaceutical industry, for energy drinks, and even as a natural insecticide. We are told that Descafecol recovers the NATURAL RAW CAFFEINE from the decaffeination process.
Organic coffee &amp; E.A decaffeination
The issue of using EA to produce organic coffee has been discussed at length in the industry. Descafecol firmly states that EA is a completely natural component.
Points to remember
Once decaffeinated, coffee becomes slightly sweeter.

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