Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/556538
36 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 4, 2015 (August/September) Day) brand instant coffee was introduced in Colombia in 2000 and began exporting to the UK with displays in 225 major su- permarkets. In 2001 shipments began to Mexico and the US. Emerald Mountain canned coffee, launched in Japan under the Coca-Cola owned Georgia brand, is now the top selling ready-to-drink coffee in that country. "Our product portfolio now sells in more than 60 countries and we have made a name for ourselves by offering a high quality 100% Colombian soluble coffee for the most demanding instant coffee markets in the world," said Samper. Buencafé The factory today is massive, one of the largest in the world spanning 1.5 million square feet, with a capacity of 11,500 metric tons per year. The factory employs 600. Buencafé manufactures freeze-dried, roasted instant (which contains micro particles of roasted coffee), and coffee extract, a frozen liquid coffee. Once the locally grown coffee is roasted and ground, liquid coffee is extracted from the brew in giant temperature-controlled percolators. It is then concentrated into dense loaves as it freezes. The resulting flakes are dried in a vacuum and packaged. "We developed a more complex portfolio of coffees, from roasted instant to freeze-dried coffee, which allows us to sell to various market segments, from grocery chains to coffee based products and third party brand owners; many of which use the 100% Colombian coffee logo on their packages to assure consumers all over the world the coffee is of the highest quality," said Samper. Buencafé has continued to develop products that modern consumers require, said Samper. "Even those from emerging coffee consuming markets have high expecta- tions that we can meet, allowing our clients to avoid competing just with price. This is why clients from all over the world come to us to look for differentiated and quality based solutions," he said. Innovation in solubles Colombians generally prefer fresh brewed coffee but "a taste for less-intense brews has greatly contributed to the rise of in- stant coffee," according to Euromonitor beverage analyst Dana LaMendola. LaMendola cites a 22% increase in sales of instant coffee mixes (flavored and containing either sweetener or creamer or both). In 2013 mixes accounted for 12% of Colombia's overall instant coffee sales. In 2013 39.8% of Colombians re- ported drinking instant, up from 35% in 2009. LaMendola observes that Colom- bian's preference for mild coffee is "in- sufficient" to explain such a significant shift in coffee consumption. "Rather, the convenience of the instant format, and the versatility of flavors available, are also integral to the growing appeal of instant coffee in Colombia," she said. For decades, the general conception of soluble coffee has been that it is a low quali- ty product that is produced mainly with low quality robusta beans, observes Samper. 14.3 85.7 35.1 35.8 36.9 38.4 39.8 64.9 64.2 63.1 61.6 60.2 2013 DE 2009 DE 2010 DE 2011 DE 2012 DE 2013 DEC. 2009 DEC. 2010 DEC. 2011 DEC. 2012 DEC. 2013 Instant coffee Brewed coffee Instant coffee Brewed coffee 0 20 40 60 80 100 64.9% 64.2% 63.1% 61.6% 60.2% 35.1% 35.8% 36.9% 38.4% 39.8% Consumption of Instant Coffee in Colombia (2009-2013) The Buencafé factory in Chinchiná, Colombia, can produce up to 11,500 metric tons of instant coffee each year. It is one of the largest freeze-dried manufacturing facilities in the world. Photo courtesy FNC FNC Domestic Consumption Statistics 2013 Frozen coffee concentrate Photo by Patricia Rincon