Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491371
24 STiR tea & coffee industry international Peru is the third largest producer of coffee in South America and the seventh largest globally at 5.3 million 60-kilo bags. At COTECA Peruvian representatives discuss trade with export partners. regards her company as a pioneer in Europe for single-estate coffees from Sidikalang, and Sinabung, and she told STiR that COTECA was an excellent opportunity for her to introduce these varieties to potential customers. Vietnamese specialty coffees were represented at COTECA by Ho Chi Minh City-based trading firm Phucsinh Corporation. Yemen's Al-Ezzi Industries Co. Ltd. showcased its intriguing range of grower-authenticated arabica coffees under the slogan "The Thoroughbred Arabica." Ethiopia, one of the oldest coffee suppliers in the world was represented by Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union Ltd. (SCFCU). The co-operative was founded in 2001 and today represents more than 80,000 farmers from southern Ethiopia's Sidama region. SCFCU's output is approximately 10,000 tons of high quality organic Arabica per year. Nearly the entire crop is shade grown in low density plantations. The coffee has been certified by Fairtrade International since 2003. SCFCU exports its extraordinarily high quality coffees directly to the international market. Further down the East African coast lies Tanzania, whose highlands are ideal for cultivat- ing the precious bean. The country's Mambo Coffee Co. Ltd. was established in 1997 and primarily trades in organically grown and Fairtrade single-origin and micro lot arabica and robusta coffees. Since early 2014 the company has been represented in Europe by its German partner, Falk Ziegler. During the 2013/2014 season he imported 30 containers and projects volume to increase to 45 containers in 2014/2015. "The overall trend in Germany, the UK, and the EU is shifting towards single-origin and micro lot coffees, because the consumer numbers going for specialty coffees are rising," Ziegler explained. "[Demand for] organic and Fairtrade produce is increasing fast, too, as policy changes in European countries necessitate sustainable production and trading practices in the entire supply chain." He added that he plans to also launch another Tanzanian specialty coffee brand, Kiliman, in the near future. At COTECA it was just a brief walk from Africa's stands to reach those of Central and South America. A very welcome addition at this year's event was the booth of El Salvador's Finca La Dalia, owned and managed by Carlos Roberto Guillén and his wife, Sandra. A family business since the early 1900s, the Guilléns showcased their outstanding Bourbon and Pacamara coffees. "The way how we grow and produce our coffee is a time-honored family tradition," the visibly proud couple said. "We always aim for the best, because that´s what we were taught [by our forefathers]. "My finca is located at 1,400 meters in the western part of El Salvador on the slopes of the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range, and is blessed with mineral-rich volcanic soil that yields wonderful coffee quality," Carlos Guillén added. Café Britt has been Costa Rica's best-selling coffee brand for the past 29 years, holding several international certifications. But it was only in 2014 that it finally made its big jump across the Atlantic to Europe, where it is now being marketed and distributed primarily through e-commerce retail sales by Germany-based import and export company Lösung CR, co-owned by Alonso Rodríguez Villalobos and Adriana Pfleger Meza. "But we intend to soon expand to wholesale customers - such as retail gourmet stores and specialty HORECA clients – in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Austria, England, Tightpac vacuum seal storage container for tea with floral design in royal blue