This article first appeared in our COP29 special issue of My Green Pod Magazine. Click here to subscribe to our digital edition and get each issue delivered straight to your inbox
Mass-produced coffee is often grown in full sun to speed up the growing and harvesting processes, but this often entails deforestation.
According to some estimates, a square inch of rainforest is lost for every cup of coffee consumed.
Growing coffee in the shade not only saves trees but also improves biodiversity and taste, allowing complex flavours time to develop.
‘95% of our coffee grown in Colombia is shade grown’, says Natalia Garcia, managing director of Tambia Coffee, Oro Molido UK, a collection of coffee farms in Colombia that recently expanded into hospitality through Oro Molido Experiences. ‘More than 25% of our land is shaded by trees, which provide habitats for over 115 species of bird at our La Sierra farm.’
The Oro Molido story began nearly 40 years ago, when a cattle farm was converted into a coffee farm during the war in Colombia.
‘The conflict made it difficult to maintain cattle, which were easily targeted by guerrillas’, Natalia explains. ‘Coffee, on the other hand, was harder for them to appropriate, so the switch made sense.’
The business has grown from a single farm – Campo Amor, on the slopes of Cerro Bravo overlooking the Cauca River valley – to many across different regions of Colombia.
‘Our expansion over the years has been purposeful’, Natalia tells us. ‘We have only sought farms at high altitudes, with many water sources and rich and well-draining volcanic soils in order to ensure the highest quality.’
Altitude, soil and climate all shape the flavour and quality of coffee beans; the variety of the coffee plant and the farming methods are also important.
‘When first-generation coffee farmer Raul Escobar Restrepo started the farms, the focus was always on producing high-quality coffee while staying connected to the local community’, Natalia tells us. ‘Back then, sustainability wasn’t a formal concept like it is today, but there was always a respect for the land and nature.’
Today Oro Molido also focuses heavily on water conservation, cleaning and treating wastewater from processing before returning it to the land.
‘Sustainability has always been there’, Natalia says, ‘but it’s now more of a conscious, core part of how we operate and balance the health of the environment with quality coffee production.’
Oro Molido employees, some of whom have been with the company for over 20 years, are given opportunities for training and career progression – many have moved from coffee picking to quality grading or management roles. This helps to sustain the coffee industry and also the community.
‘A big challenge we’re facing is that young people are leaving the countryside to pursue opportunities in cities’, Natalia shares. ‘It’s increasingly difficult to find workers to help us harvest the cherries – especially since they must be handpicked at our farms in the Andes mountains.’
To address this, Tambia Coffee, through the Oro Molido Foundation, offers scholarships focused on agro industry to inspire the next generation to remain in farming.
‘This year we have 30 students from local areas on scholarships for continuing education beyond high school and into careers that focus on environment, agronomy – with a strong emphasis on coffee agriculture and skills – and tourism’, Natalia tells us. ‘These areas of focus have been chosen to build skills that will be applied in the local community and support its longer term economic development.’
The coffee industry has changed massively over the three generations Tambia Coffee has existed – most notably with the rise of specialty coffee.
‘The focus on quality has definitely increased, and that’s a positive thing’, Natalia says. ‘But it’s still a tough reality that the bulk of earnings go to roasters, leaving farmers with a smaller share of the pie.’
Tambia controls every step of the process to ensure quality is managed from beginning to end. ‘We’re farmers first’, Natalia says. ‘We don’t just roast coffee, we grow it, from seed to harvest, and then bring it directly to our consumers in the UK.’
Natalia would like to see sector-wide transparency throughout the supply chain and a focus on fair labour practices, so consumers know where their coffee comes from, how it’s produced and who is involved in its journey from farm to cup.
‘By prioritising direct trade relationships, we can ensure farmers receive fair compensation for their hard work, which in turn supports local communities and encourages sustainable farming practices’, Natalia adds. ‘Our land is our most precious resource; we want to play our part in protecting it while offering a beautiful cup of coffee that brings a smile with every sip.’
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