BAHAREQUE BOURBON ROSADO LAVADO

Producción de Bourbon rosadoCafernote’s micro-lot program

In 2020, Cafenorte started a micro-lot program so that its members could be rewarded for producing higher qualities. When a member delivers coffee to one of the 12 collection sites managed by the cooperative, the coffee is immediately evaluated and cupped. If Cafenorte scores the coffee above 86 points and finds a factor below 92 they pay the farmer the local plaza + USD 0.11/lb straight away. After the coffee is sold, the producer will receive another 40% to 60% of the profit, adding USD 1.32/kg on average and going up to USD 1.76/kg. Farmers selling micro-lots will also receive two annual premiums paid to all members.

Currently, Cafenorte separates micro-lots according to cup profile rather than by farmer. Each micro-lot can be composed of beans from up to 5 producers. As the program is new, farmers haven’t yet achieved enough consistency to produce the same quality every year, so the origin of a micro-lot may vary, as it happens with many cooperatives that are starting out in the micro-lot business. This doesn’t mean the coffees are not traceable. The cooperative always knows who produced the coffees they stock and keeps strict records.

Most of Cafenorte’s micro-lots come from the higher altitude municipalities of Valle del Cauca such as El Águila, El Cairo, Argelia and sometimes Versalles, all West of the Cordillera Occidental. The micro-lots are stored in a warehouse and, once the sale is done, Cafenorte assigns the contracted bags to the client. At this point, they can tell exactly who is (are) the farmer(s) behind that lot.