Taking too long? Close loading screen.

Looking Back and Leaping Forward



January 29, 2020

 5 Minute Read

Alejandro Cadena
Co-Founder and CEO
The start of a new year is always the best time to reflect on the year that ended and to establish goals for the year that is beginning. So, today I’d like to steal from you a few minutes of your time to talk about a few very exciting projects that we accomplished at Caravela during 2019 and a couple of initiatives that we will be working on in 2020.

For us, 2019 was primarily a year of gradual improvement but there were a few substantial changes which addressed areas where we were not performing as we wanted to. For instance, at the end of 2018 we changed leadership in our Guatemala and El Salvador export operations, which paid off in 2019 with a substantial turnaround of both our operational performance and the quality of the coffee we exported from those two origins. We still have much to improve, so we continued investing in Guatemala, opening in late 2019 a new headquarters, main cupping lab and central warehouse near Guatemala City, where we aim to have better control of the coffee sourced. We also decided to make changes in Mexico, appointing Fernando Gomez as the new country manager, moving our headquarters and main cupping lab to Oaxaca City, and opening a central warehouse to store all the coffee sourced in this exciting origin. We hope to continue to see the results of these changes in 2020 and beyond. But the two initiatives of 2019 that I’m most proud of were the development of our own organic, Rainforest Alliance and Café Practices supply chains in several countries and the renovation of our dry mill in Colombia.

Our New Mexico headquarters/warehouse in Oaxaca City

In early 2019 we set ourselves the goal of establishing our own organic-certified supply chains in Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as well as Rainforest Alliance supply chains in Colombia and Nicaragua, and Café Practices verifications in Colombia and Ecuador. Our PECA teams in those five countries worked tirelessly to scout the regions, select and train the producers, educate our internal teams and work with certifying agencies to achieve certification. As of early January 2020, we can say: mission accomplished. We managed to certify a total of 432 coffee farmers and 811.9 tons of certified coffee. Our plan is not to replace the supply chains we have developed through associations and cooperatives, but rather to have additional volumes of high quality certified coffee for our roaster partners that are looking for certified coffee, while helping new farmers achieve higher prices that compensate them for their quality and their environmental efforts. More importantly though, it means that we are also helping the planet!

Our second major initiative of 2019 was the upgrade of our Colombian dry mill, located in Armenia (Quindio). This upgrade involved not only installing brand new, state-of-the-art processing equipment, and the installation of a separate micro-lot line (which will begin operating in February 2020), but also included the complete renovation of our offices and cupping lab there, plus a new employee break room (which, BTW, is pretty cool), as well as the installation of a solar roof with 240 solar panels. This initiative has been a win-win for all: better coffee quality coffee for our customers, a substantial improvement in the working conditions and quality of life of the more than 20 employees who work there, lower air pollution during the milling process, and a whopping 32% reduction in our energy consumption per bag milled. Another win for our planet!       

The new break room at our Colombia dry mill



Looking forward into 2020, as the specialty coffee industry continues to evolve and mature, and thanks to the continued support from our grower and roaster partners and other key stakeholders, we have ambitious plans to continue doing what we love to do: make coffee better! We have plenty of plans on our plate, but today I want to talk about the two initiatives that most excite me for this year.

As the specialty coffee market continues to grow in Asia, during the first days of the new year we opened a sales and import operation in Taiwan. This office will not only have a dedicated Mandarin-speaking sales team, but also a cupping lab and education center right in the center of Taipei – a city that I really enjoy visiting! There we will organize frequent classes and workshops to educate the whole coffee community in Asia.

But perhaps the biggest initiative we will be working on in 2020 – besides sourcing great coffee – will be the opening of the Caravela Coffee University. This is an idea we have been developing over the past few years that is finally coming to fruition. This university will be located at Belgravia, our experimental farm located in Popayan, Cauca (Colombia). The facilities will include several classrooms, a cupping and brewing lab, a break room and dormitories for up to 10 students, all in the middle of a coffee farm! The vast majority of the teachers will be our leadership team, but we also plan on inviting guest teachers from time to time. This university will become our main training facility for all our employees, and coffee farmers worldwide. We also plan to open it to coffee geeks, consumers and pros alike, from all over the world. As you can probably tell, I’m really excited about it as it will be a game changer.

Personally, I’m looking forward to taking our Cost of Production Tour to Asia, Australia and Europe, as well as continuing to volunteer time to support great industry causes, in particular ASECC, the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide and World Coffee Research1. In addition, this year we will be cheering on a team of employees and friends running in the 2020 London Marathon in support of the UK charity Children with Cancer. Please consider supporting this great charity and our participants.

Last, but definitely not least, 2020 marks our twentieth year of existence; two decades of making the coffee world a better place. I’m extremely proud of what we have accomplished over the course of these twenty years. It has not been easy, but thanks to a lot of patience and perseverance, a great team of co-workers (which now surpasses more than 200 people in 12 countries), and the support of our customers and stakeholders, we have come a long way. And we are ready to take on the next twenty years!

I am looking forward to celebrating this great milestone for our company with our employees, friends, suppliers, customers and colleagues. Stay tuned for more information about the various celebrations we have planned during the year. And next month we’re publishing our 2019 Impact Report, where you will find out more details about what we achieved in 2019 and how we plan to continue working hard to continue making coffee better!

Thank you for your continued support and I wish all of you the very best in 2020. Cheers!

1 If you haven’t already contributed data to the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide or have not yet signed up for World Coffee Research’s Checkoff Program, please consider supporting them this year.

***

Alejandro Cadena
After graduating as an Economist from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, he worked as an investment banker in New York and London before co-founding Caravela with the mission of making an impact in coffee communities in Latin America by helping build sustainable, long-term relationships between quality-minded smallholder coffee farmers and roasters around the world.


3 Comments
  1. Mario Canon C

    Congratulations Alejandro and Caravela for the first 20 years of building up value for coffee growers and stakeholders and for being instrumental in bringing up a nice and sustainable cup of coffee to our table ¡¡

    Reply
  2. Chris

    Much love and respect Alejandro!

    ULS team

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Was this interesting? Grab a coffee and pick another from the articles below
Agroforestry For the Planet: The Impact of Shade-Grown Coffee

Agroforestry For the Planet: The Impact of Shade-Grown Coffee

What Makes a B Corp a Different Kind of Business?

What Makes a B Corp a Different Kind of Business?

Sustainability: The Sextant of Our Navigation

Sustainability: The Sextant of Our Navigation

Taking Coffee Education Program to the Next Level

Taking Coffee Education Program to the Next Level

Learning from 2021 and Reflecting on the Future of Coffee

Learning from 2021 and Reflecting on the Future of Coffee

Cost Of Production Spotlight: Price Spikes ≠ Higher Incomes

Cost Of Production Spotlight: Price Spikes ≠ Higher Incomes

Receiving Coffee, Delivering Resilience

Receiving Coffee, Delivering Resilience

Recognizing Producers’ Commitment to Excellence in El Salvador

Recognizing Producers’ Commitment to Excellence in El Salvador

The Sum of Small Actions: PECA contributes to the reduction of GHG’s

The Sum of Small Actions: PECA contributes to the reduction of GHG’s

A Pivotal Moment for Specialty Coffee

A Pivotal Moment for Specialty Coffee

Long Distances, Long Histories: Getting Close to Coffee in Oaxaca

Long Distances, Long Histories: Getting Close to Coffee in Oaxaca

We are Best for the World 2021!

We are Best for the World 2021!

Transparent Teamwork with Local Cooperatives

Transparent Teamwork with Local Cooperatives

Planning Ahead: As bad as it sounds?

Planning Ahead: As bad as it sounds?

Growing and Thriving with Guatemalan Farmers

Growing and Thriving with Guatemalan Farmers

An Update on Colombia’s Ongoing Crisis

An Update on Colombia’s Ongoing Crisis

Mastering the Learning Loop in Peru

Mastering the Learning Loop in Peru

Supply Chain Hurricane: Weathering a perfect logistical storm in 2021

Supply Chain Hurricane: Weathering a perfect logistical storm in 2021

Making the Coffee World More Sustainable

Making the Coffee World More Sustainable

A Familiar Face Returns: William Ortiz at the helm of Colombia/Ecuador

A Familiar Face Returns: William Ortiz at the helm of Colombia/Ecuador

Cause and Effectiveness: Increasing Impact with the Sustainable Development Initiative

Cause and Effectiveness: Increasing Impact with the Sustainable Development Initiative

Shifting Calendars, Shifting Harvests

Shifting Calendars, Shifting Harvests

Third-Party Verification that Leads to Action

Third-Party Verification that Leads to Action

‘Milds’ Intrigue: The Price Quandry Facing Farmers

‘Milds’ Intrigue: The Price Quandry Facing Farmers

Guiding Farms in the Right Direction

Guiding Farms in the Right Direction

Our Best Coffee is Our People

Our Best Coffee is Our People

What’s Brewing in the Coffee Industry: Lessons Learned and What to Look Forward in 2021

What’s Brewing in the Coffee Industry: Lessons Learned and What to Look Forward in 2021

Why Add Yeast ?

Why Add Yeast ?

Polar Promise in Las Palmas: A Case Study of North Star’s El Salvador Origin Project

Polar Promise in Las Palmas: A Case Study of North Star’s El Salvador Origin Project

Peru 2020: Rising Up From Lockdown

Peru 2020: Rising Up From Lockdown

Traditional Varieties in Latin America

Traditional Varieties in Latin America

Ecuador 2020: Making Our Way in the Middle

Ecuador 2020: Making Our Way in the Middle

Climate Neutral Caravela 2025: Steady Steps Towards a More Sustainable Future

Climate Neutral Caravela 2025: Steady Steps Towards a More Sustainable Future

A Primer on Transparency + Traceability Part II

A Primer on Transparency + Traceability Part II

A Primer on Transparency + Traceability Part I

A Primer on Transparency + Traceability Part I

How to Create a Specialty Coffee Line to Attract Commercial Coffee Drinkers Into The Specialty Coffee World? Part II

How to Create a Specialty Coffee Line to Attract Commercial Coffee Drinkers Into The Specialty Coffee World? Part II

How to Create a Specialty Coffee Line to Attract Commercial Coffee Drinkers Into The Specialty Coffee World?

How to Create a Specialty Coffee Line to Attract Commercial Coffee Drinkers Into The Specialty Coffee World?

A Take on Long-standing Relationships: Hasbean and Pedro Claros

A Take on Long-standing Relationships: Hasbean and Pedro Claros

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How  Part Three: Futures 103 How Hedging Works

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How Part Three: Futures 103 How Hedging Works

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How Part Two: Futures 102

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How Part Two: Futures 102

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How Part One: Futures 101

Futures Contracts: What, Why, How Part One: Futures 101

Grade Expectations: Finding Versatility and Value in A and AA Coffees

Grade Expectations: Finding Versatility and Value in A and AA Coffees

A Presentation on Cost of Production In Latin America

A Presentation on Cost of Production In Latin America

Meso-American Producer Survey: The Pandemic Will Leave Long-Lasting Scars

Meso-American Producer Survey: The Pandemic Will Leave Long-Lasting Scars

Invisible Barriers for Moving Coffee

Invisible Barriers for Moving Coffee

Caravela at 20: The Journey is Only Getting Started

Caravela at 20: The Journey is Only Getting Started

Certifiably Awesome: Passion and Persistence Turn Promise into Parchment in Mexico

Certifiably Awesome: Passion and Persistence Turn Promise into Parchment in Mexico

Harvest Arrives, Along with a Pandemic

Harvest Arrives, Along with a Pandemic

Minga From Field To Filter: Coffee Reacts and Adapts to the Covid Era

Minga From Field To Filter: Coffee Reacts and Adapts to the Covid Era

Mother Nature Turns The Volume Down in Nicaragua

Mother Nature Turns The Volume Down in Nicaragua

LOTSA Potential: The Long-Term Supply Agreement as a Tool for Financial Stability and Building Relationships

LOTSA Potential: The Long-Term Supply Agreement as a Tool for Financial Stability and Building Relationships

Progress in a Picture-Perfect Coffee Setting

Progress in a Picture-Perfect Coffee Setting

The Price and Value of Consistency

The Price and Value of Consistency

Looking Back and Leaping Forward

Looking Back and Leaping Forward

Womxn-Powered Coffee: Why It Matters

Womxn-Powered Coffee: Why It Matters

Behind the Scenes in Peruvian Coffee

Behind the Scenes in Peruvian Coffee

Unpoppable Opportunities for the Future

Unpoppable Opportunities for the Future

Equipping the Equipo: Playing to win in Guatemala and El Salvador

Equipping the Equipo: Playing to win in Guatemala and El Salvador

Agronomy to Keep the Microlots Coming

Agronomy to Keep the Microlots Coming

Evolution in a Land of Revolution

Evolution in a Land of Revolution

Cupping as Meditation

Cupping as Meditation

Origin Revelations

Origin Revelations

Avoiding the Poverty Trap: Choosing Stories Instead of Emotional Marketing

Avoiding the Poverty Trap: Choosing Stories Instead of Emotional Marketing

I’ve Bean Everywhere, Man

I’ve Bean Everywhere, Man

Have Yourself a Mara Little Christmas

Have Yourself a Mara Little Christmas

All Roads Lead to Coffee

All Roads Lead to Coffee

How Coffee can Complement Food

How Coffee can Complement Food

Building Projects at Origin

Building Projects at Origin

Coffee: Culture or Business?

Coffee: Culture or Business?

Café: ¿Cultura o Negocio?

Café: ¿Cultura o Negocio?

A Study on Costs of Production in Latin America

A Study on Costs of Production in Latin America

Fermentation Experiments in Nicaragua – How We Managed to Go from RTB to AAA

Fermentation Experiments in Nicaragua – How We Managed to Go from RTB to AAA

Constantly Adapting to Change

Constantly Adapting to Change

Mind the Gap: A Growing Gray Area Between Market and Production

Mind the Gap: A Growing Gray Area Between Market and Production

Embracing Technology to Create New Pathways in Coffee

Embracing Technology to Create New Pathways in Coffee

Forward Contracting to Secure Quality, Quantity and Relationships

Forward Contracting to Secure Quality, Quantity and Relationships

Caravela Sponsors Seven Small-holder Coffee Producers to attend the Producer and Roaster Forum in Guatemala

Caravela Sponsors Seven Small-holder Coffee Producers to attend the Producer and Roaster Forum in Guatemala

Colombian Specialty Coffee Scene. A Perspective from Café Quindío

Colombian Specialty Coffee Scene. A Perspective from Café Quindío

Coffee Sampling  Increases Farmers Profitability Opportunities

Coffee Sampling Increases Farmers Profitability Opportunities

Caravela From a Newcomer’s View

Caravela From a Newcomer’s View

Water Activity: Predictive insights Changing Processes and Profits

Water Activity: Predictive insights Changing Processes and Profits

Blending Experience with Passion in Mesoamerica

Blending Experience with Passion in Mesoamerica

Coffee in Galapagos: Evolving To Thrive

Coffee in Galapagos: Evolving To Thrive

What Traceability Offers Farmers

What Traceability Offers Farmers

The Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide – Setting the Bar on Prices

The Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide – Setting the Bar on Prices

A Tale of Two Customers: Caravela Coffee and the Rethinking of the Coffee Import Model

A Tale of Two Customers: Caravela Coffee and the Rethinking of the Coffee Import Model

Arriving at a price

Arriving at a price

Rich Farmer, Poor Farmer

Rich Farmer, Poor Farmer

Low Prices, Risky Times

Low Prices, Risky Times

Making it Work as Well as it Can

Making it Work as Well as it Can

Discovering the Source

Discovering the Source

A Mutual Evolution: Caravela Nicaragua’s William Ortiz, on helping people grow coffee, and how coffee helps people grow

A Mutual Evolution: Caravela Nicaragua’s William Ortiz, on helping people grow coffee, and how coffee helps people grow

The High Price of Getting the Best from Ecuador

The High Price of Getting the Best from Ecuador

Victims of Exchanging Currencies – Who Should Take on this Risk?

Victims of Exchanging Currencies – Who Should Take on this Risk?

A Pilgrimage to the Future

A Pilgrimage to the Future

Why We’re Investing in World Coffee Research?

Why We’re Investing in World Coffee Research?

The Making of a Champion

The Making of a Champion

Peru, an Unpolished Diamond in Coffee Production

Peru, an Unpolished Diamond in Coffee Production

Investing in Education: Investing in People

Investing in Education: Investing in People

How Roasters Can Influence the Supply Chain

How Roasters Can Influence the Supply Chain

Aromas: More than Just a Coffee Competition

Aromas: More than Just a Coffee Competition

FOB vs. EXW – Two Buying/Shipping Methods for Your Green Coffee

FOB vs. EXW – Two Buying/Shipping Methods for Your Green Coffee

Sample Roasting vs. Profile Roasting

Sample Roasting vs. Profile Roasting

How to Keep Records of your Costs of Production?

How to Keep Records of your Costs of Production?

Why and How to Estimate Costs of Production in a Coffee Farm?

Why and How to Estimate Costs of Production in a Coffee Farm?

Supply Chain Logistics – The Clockwork of Coffee

Supply Chain Logistics – The Clockwork of Coffee

Forecasting Green Coffee Purchasing

Forecasting Green Coffee Purchasing

What is specialty Coffee

What is specialty Coffee

Drying in Peru: the Final Step in Quality Improvement

Drying in Peru: the Final Step in Quality Improvement

FOB vs: EXW – Two Buying/Shipping Methods for Your Green Coffee

FOB vs: EXW – Two Buying/Shipping Methods for Your Green Coffee

When is it time to harvest?

When is it time to harvest?

Just In Time Inventory

Just In Time Inventory

Spectrum Purchasing and How it Impacts Sustainability

Spectrum Purchasing and How it Impacts Sustainability

CONNECT WITH US

© Caravela Limited, 2020
SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE OUR LATEST NEWS

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Translate »

Pin It on Pinterest

Share

Share this content with your coffee community!