Why We Visit Coffee Producers
Just outside of Volcan, Panama is Finca Hartmann, a beautiful 90 hectare (220 acre) estate, in which 12 of those hecares are set aside for coffee cultivation, and the remainder are dedicated to old-growth rainforest. Alex Hartmann is one of five Hartmann siblings who work together to run the family estate. Alex is the manager of the coffee nursery, and assists in the management of all coffee harvesting between the months of September and February. When I visited Finca Hartmann in late May, I met with Alex in the nursery and got a glimpse into his philosophy of producing and selling coffee, that is, why it is so important for coffee producers and consumers to communicate with one another.Over the course of the past few years, Gimme Coffee has met a number of coffee growers from various coffee producing countries. Each meeting is an effort to foster new relationships with these growers, and to actively dissolve our spatial and economic distances.
We visit coffee producers so that we can continue to educate ourselves about what quality coffee truly is: a process. Quality coffee is neither a commodity, nor is it a static idea. It relies heavily on the responsibility of everyone involved, from the farmer in a given coffee producing country to the consumer buying whole beans off of the shelf.
Alex mentions that roasters and coffee buyers are the important link between producers and consumers. We are, in fact, a dual agent in the buying and selling of quality coffee. Gimme's responsibility is to both respond to the specific needs of the grower, as well as to educate the consumer about what we believe quality truly is. It is also to respond to the specific needs of the consumer, as well as to educate the grower about what we believe quality truly is - in an objective and positive way.
Essentially, we visit coffee producers because we want more people drinking better coffee and knowing more about it.
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Mimi Jun 18, 2009 – 9:37 AM
Great post, Colleen!
Michael Andre S. Jun 18, 2009 – 10:28 AM
Coffee producers are unsung heroes! Yes, your post here reminds me that the beans don't just magically appear in coffee bags, though good coffee is indeed magical ☆