our international coffee projects
COLOMBIA
In the north of South America lies Colombia, famous for its beaches, rainforest, and its beautiful coffee. We partner with some local legends who are already doing wonders for a wide range of coffee farmers in Colombia.
After our last trip in 2019 we formed a close alliance with Carlos and Felipe and are working on a more direct involvement strategy with specific coffee farmers on the ground in Colombia and potentially in Peru as they continue to expand.
The team have so many amazing projects already underway we couldn’t be happier partnering with the team to continue delivering amazing coffee and showcasing this in Australia. After all who knows the needs of the local farmers better than these two local legends!
PHILIPPINES
Our project in the Philippines is a labour of love. The Alfresco team travelled to the region in 2017 to help build a community shelter and church in the highlands of the island of Negros – we fell in love with the people and soon became close friends with the whole village.
During the weeks spent working alongside the locals, Alfresco owner Sam soon learnt that the region encompassed many coffee plantations running through the mountains. After being approached for advice by the local community elder, Roger, as to how to grow and produce coffee the Alfresco team decided to lend a hand, both physically and financially.
To date, we have undertaken several trips back to help train and teach our local friends on all things coffee, from growing, pruning and fertilising to coexisting with the climate and heavily forested areas to create a shade grown arabica coffee worth drinking.
While it’s still early days we are excited about heading back in the post-covid world to build production and milling facilities in the region, to then export this coffee later to Australia.
We are committed to see this plantation turn into a model plantation, which the local leaders can facilitate training for the surrounding coffee farmers and bring both employment and outstanding coffee to the region.
NICARAGUA
Our Nicaragua project involves teaming up with local coffee growers who are creating farmer-geared projects. Over the last couple of years we are proud to have played a major part in the development of our partner production, from a tiny farm with a small harvest to a fast-growing coffee plantation, both in size and bean quality.
Prior to our involvement, the main issue was the strenuous six-hour journey by donkey to get the coffee from the farm to the mill. This year the project overtook our ability to buy the entire harvest to sell within Australia and our partners are now selling coffee to a broader network of international coffee roasters – exactly the success we envisaged for these guys!
10/10/10
Our ambitious goal to kickstart 10 new projects in 10 coffee growing nations over the next 10 years has been somewhat held up by the pandemic. However, we know that reaching the world through coffee (as the second highest traded commodity globally) remains our tenacious goal, and with that resolve we aim to help make the world a better place by bettering coffee producing regions around the world!
"Somewhere along the way, we must learn that there is nothing greater than to do something for others." Martin Luther King Jr.
