ARMENIA
In the coliseum of Colegio Libre of the municipality of Circasia in Quindío held the party on National Coffee Day with the participation of 500 coffee-growing families, an activity led by Faber Buitrago, member of the municipal and departmental committee of Coffee Growers, the private company and the mayor of Circasia.
On the midday news we spoke with the executive director of the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers Martín Vásquez who explained “today we are celebrating June 27, National Coffee Day and a double celebration because the National Federation of Coffee Growers, that institution of Colombian coffee growers, of course, also representing coffee growing families, is celebrating its 97th anniversary, so This celebration deserves to be celebrated as we are doing right now in this space as coffee growers. And we are not only doing it here in Quindío but at a national level, that is to say, we must celebrate around coffee to celebrate coffee-growing families.
José Martín Vásquez, director of the Coffee Growers Committee, Quindío. Photo: Courtesy of the Quindío Coffee Growers Committee
Generational relief
They are opening up a very important space and something very interesting by resuming the preparation of coffee in a pot. We have been touring the different municipalities and incredibly there is great participation of young people, in Pijao Last weekend we recognized some young people who participated in two categories from 7 to 12 years old and from 3 to 17 preparing coffee and what a pride to see them motivated by coffee And that is why I invite coffee-growing families to rely on this institution that opens all the spaces not only for competitions but also for training and also to strengthen that knowledge through activities or alliances that we have with the Gran Colombia University for example or with the Sena that is also our strategic ally, so I believe that coffee growing is transforming and here we cannot be oblivious to that situation and even more so an institution that is 97 years old, that is already close to 100 and has always worked for coffee-growing families.
Coffee figures in Quindío
We can say that currently we have 18,000 hectares in Quindío and more than 5,100 coffee-growing families all working to improve the quality of coffee in opening spaces with their brands, in training in the analysis center and the pleasure and we can say that even though at other times the coffee industry in Quindío was in the first five places, today we can say that the coffee industry in Quindío makes the difference in terms of quality and that is where we have to think about that in a quality portfolio for demanding consumers and for the world.
Are we consuming better coffee today?
The executive director of the Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers, Martín Vásquez, explained that There is a transformation and this is also motivated by a very interesting exercise: special or specialty stores. Also the young people who are baristas who have become ambassadors in municipalities, that one never imagined that they would consume specialty coffee and this has allowed that awareness of the consumption of quality coffee of specialty coffee and instead has turned to the consumption of quality specialty coffee and well I believe that we must recognize the coffee grower for this effort and when even never offers a pound of coffee and that can be between 25 and 35,000, well that is the value of that pound of coffee, let’s not ask for a discount we must recognize the coffee grower for that effort, that commitment to achieve a very good cup of coffee.
Luz Dary López, former member of the Circasia coffee growers committee
Luz Dary received recognition from the coffee growers committee where she belonged for 20 years and indicated “We are still coffee growers, we are still part of this coffee growing family that I always carry her in my heart, despite all the time I worked with the Committee and I am very grateful to the Municipal Committee of Coffee Growers for the recognition they did with me and making me feel that I still live in the Committee and live in the heart of them, it was exciting, anyway I have no words to thank them because they still carry me in their hearts and that for one as a person that is wonderful,
What has it meant to be a coffee maker?
That is life, it is gratitude because even though the years pass, you feel satisfied that you still remember it. and that they take it into account to pay tribute to him now that one is alive, which is the most important thing that there are still people who appreciate him and carry him in their hearts.
Luz Dary López, renowned coffee maker. Photo: Courtesy of the Quindío Coffee Growers Committee
He still drinks his good cups of coffee
It can’t be missing from my table in the morning, after lunch.there is always coffee that continues to be and will be number one worldwide because a cup of coffee cannot be missing.
Faber Buitrago, coffee leader
He received recognition for the 9 years he has led this activity of the coffee growers’ festival in the Coliseum of the free school of Circasia “The first thing is to thank and be grateful to Caracol, who, just like these nine years that we have been paying tribute, Caracol is always present on this National Day of coffee-growing families, not only in the municipality of Circasia but in Quindío and This tribute is well deserved not for Faber Buitrago, but for a team that is with all of usbecause as we say, one person is no one, here we are a team and the main team is the coffee-growing families.
Recognition of Faber Buitrago, coffee leader of Quindío, Photo Adrián Trejos
This tribute is, thank God, the private company is generous and is always the one that finances this event that enjoys a lot of prestige and is the only Committee at the national level that does this ceremony, The cost is between 50 and 60 million pesos and everything is financed by the private company, so that is very gratifying and today we also thank the Municipal Mayor’s Office for linking us with 20 new mowers, it does not have a cost of more or less 25 million pesos, but everything is for the families I capitulate the people to the coffee tradition to the generational change to entrepreneurship to sustainability and gratitude for the services provided l
Called
Today what all coffee growers ask, not only in Quindío but in the country and the world, is that There is co-responsibility from the industry towards the primary base, which is the producer. We cannot continue selling a cup of coffee for three or four dollars and the producer and the coffee-making family receive 10 cents for that cup., that is not fair. We need co-responsibility in the chain and that this can generate well-being for these coffee-growing families and their children.
On National Coffee Day, coffee growers from Quindío recognize the increase in consumption
