Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/520302
STiR tea & coffee industry international 41 reaching 15.3 60-kilo bags per hectare na- tionally. In 2014 production reached pre- crisis levels of 12.1 million bags valued at $2.3 billion, a 23% increase over 2013. It is no wonder then, that Nespresso chose Caldas as one of seven Colombian regions to source coffees for its Grand Crus. The Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program, created in 2003 in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance, prides itself on selecting the top 1% of the world's coffee. The program now op- erates in 11 countries with 63,000 grow- ers, the majority of whom grow coffee in several different regions in Colombia. "Through the AAA initiative we have helped producers to improve the quality of their beans, increase productivity and receive higher premiums for their cof- fee," said Samper. "Nespresso has been a key partner for the FNC in promot- ing sustainability programs for Colom- bian coffee growers in Antioquia, Caldas, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Nariño and Santander provinces. In fact, the largest AAA Nespresso cluster in the world, ac- counting for over 25,000 growers, is lo- cated in Nariño and Cauca to produce ROASTING AND GRINDING SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY REQUIREMENT As one of the world's leading companies NEUHAUS NEOTEC supply machines, plants and turnkey factories mainly for roasting, grinding and processing of coffee, cocoa, seeds and nuts. www.neuhaus-neotec.de Colombian coffee farmers have replanted 3.25 billion trees since 2009. Photos courtesy Nespresso AAA - Caldas by Cafexport 2015