A central topic that not only concerns our partners but also us on a daily basis is the current tense situation in the coffee industry. We would like to take the time to take a closer look at this current and very relevant topic. In this article, we would like to let a long-time friend and partner have his say. He describes the current situation from the farmers’ point of view.
We in Germany are not the only ones concerned about current developments. The current situation is also a central topic in the countries of origin. Gover Cueva, a farmer friend in Peru who also works in the Aproeco cooperative, says this to us:
“This year is for crying. Putin is ruining us. The prices for a quintal (56kg parchment) have gone up to 1,000 or even 1,200 soles. 4 years ago they were 360 soles. Colombian companies are buying away the coffee because they don’t have enough coffee themselves. Coffee is in short supply. I harvested only 30% this year of what I had last year. The weather was difficult, it rained a lot and was cold. The cost to go to my village has gone up from 7 soles to 12 soles. The price of vegetable oil has more than doubled. Money is tight everywhere. But don’t think too much or even sex won’t be fun anymore. It’s a year that puts us all to the test: Farmers, cooperatives, importers, roasters*and coffee drinkers. This is the year to set our teeth straight. I hope you’ll join us again next year. We are waiting for you with a fat guinea pig. The most important thing is that our health is fine and we can still laugh. Many hugs and love to all cumpas.”
Of course, we follow the current developments just as closely as the entire industry. Here you can find out how we at cumpa are positioning ourselves for the future.