The Covid-19 has disrupted business operations of all kinds. In the coffee sector, green coffee buyers have not made their regular trips to coffee-producing countries to source coffee for their operations.
The first Virtual Buyers Caravan will showcase growers in Cauca and Valle del Cauca on 11-14 August 2020. The Caravan intends to present virtually an interactive, festive experience that differs significantly from the average Zoom call.
Over the four days, coffee buyers will engage in 90-minute virtual visits to four producer organisations from areas where Coffee for Peace operates, all of which were historic violent zones in Colombia. You can see an introduction to the organisation in the video below:
Participants will participate in interactive cupping sessions and learn about the culture and practices that make each group unique.
According to Juan Camilo Ramos, the FNC chief commercial officer, they were very excited about the first-ever Virtual Buyers Caravan. It laid out a template for how coffee buyers can continue to develop meaningful relationships with Colombian coffee producers during a time of the global pandemic.
David Pohl of Coffee for Peace added that there is no replacement for stepping foot on a coffee farm. Technology has improved so significantly in recent years that it is possible to visit coffee-producing communities, engage with producer groups, and form long-term relationships without having to board a plane.
Every day will be dedicated to a different producer organisation, a video of each group, a live Q&A with buyer participants and producers, and a conversation about their coffee.
The interaction between producer and buyer is vital at this time, said KC O’Keefe of Coffee for Peace. He also added that the speciality coffee business was built upon the coffee roaster’s interaction with growers.
The Virtual Buyers Caravan aims to stimulate a critical interaction between the farmers and buyers, through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Interested coffee buyers can register to attend the Virtual Buyers Caravan here. The deadline to register is 22 July.
Buyers will receive samples from the four producer organisations participating in the Caravan: The FNC through the Coffee Growers Committee of Cauca; Cencoic in Popayan; Cafinorte in Santander de Quilichao; and Cafioccidente in Restrepo.
Participating buyers will receive samples both as green and roasted coffee for their cuppings, allowing them to sample-roast to their desired level and taste the same roasted coffee as all participants.
