Olam Coffee, Bewley’s Tea and Coffee, John Lewis Partnership (JLP), and coffee cooperative ASOPEP have partnered to launch a new laboratory and training centre in Colombia on 5 March 2020.
The initiative is designed to raise coffee quality and the livelihood of farmers in post-conflict zones located in the southwest of Colombia.
“In the current climate of unpredictable weather and prices, it’s important to encourage and upskill growers to produce higher quality beans that qualify for specialty coffee markets, where prices are higher and more stable,” says Catalina González Sánchez, Head of Sustainability and Differentiated Coffee for Olam in Colombia.
The quality lab and education facilities will allow growers to access training on organic and sustainable farming, good agricultural practices, new varieties, and quality testing. Coffee specialists will also deliver advanced post-harvest processing workshops to introduce farmers to the latest techniques for producing higher grades coffee.
“We’re incredibly proud of this partnership with JLP and Bewley’s, which will not only directly benefit 100 coffee farmers, but hundreds more in the local communities whose livelihoods also depend on coffee. It’s a great example of how joint efforts on sustainability can deliver value throughout the supply chain,” Sánchez says.
Olam will use its sustainable sourcing platform AtSource to monitor the program.
