This harvest season, the Giraldo family is navigating a mix of challenges and opportunities. With the global coffee market facing uncertainties because of weather conditions in Brazil and Vietnam, international coffee prices have reached a historic high. At co.hilo, we’re committed to always offer a fair price to farmers. When unexpected market conditions drive the price up, we adjust our payments accordingly – farmers should never be at a disadvantage when selling their coffee to us.
This year, we’re increasing the price per carga (125kg of parchment coffee) from 2.250.000 COP to 2.800.000 COP, a 20% rise. The prices vary daily, but Colombia’s current national reference price on December 3rd is close to 2.600.000 COP per carga.
It’s good to remember that we have kept the price of 2.251.000 COP since 2022, while the market price has varied greatly, dropping as low as 1.300.000 and averaging at around 1.500.000. When we started, in 2019, the price was at historic low, averaging around 800.000 COP.
Robinson is seeing a record crop, the largest since 1995, which, in combination with high prices, is a reason for optimism among farmers. But the harvest hasn’t come without its own set of challenges. The weather has been a major concern. Rain has been affecting the coffee cherries, causing some to fall prematurely, while also slowing the drying process of the beans that have already been processed.
One of the biggest challenges this year is finding enough workers. Robinson has hired five pickers and is still looking for more. They’re currently picking between 800-1000kg of cherries per day, which translates to about 176-220kg of parchment coffee after processing. The need for extra workers has created additional logistics: Robinson must find space for them to sleep, sometimes in his children’s rooms, while his wife, Patricia, is cooking and feeding them four meals a day. Just last week, when Patricia fell ill, her mother stepped in to help, underlining the importance of family support during the harvest season.
Looking at the bigger picture, the growing unpredictability of harvests around the world is a clear sign of climate change’s impact on coffee production. As consumers, we often take our morning coffee for granted, but the realities of growing coffee are far from simple. Supporting small-scale producers like the Giraldo family is crucial to ensuring the sustainability of coffee farming and securing a future for coffee. By buying from cooperatives and farmers who are committed to ethical, sustainable practices, we can help address these challenges and support the people who grow the coffee we enjoy.
