So why did Quokka choose Colombian Coffee?
First and foremost, taste! Over the course of several months we ran taste tests with many different suppliers offering coffee from regions around the world with a variety of ethical certifications, from Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, Direct Trade and Bird Friendly through to region specific certifications like UTZ, FNC and Proudly Made in Africa. Our chosen Colombian blend came out on top by a considerable margin.
At this point we started to do some digging into Colombian coffee as a whole, and it became clear why it fared so well…
Put simply, it’s the worlds favourite coffee!
People around the world prefer the taste of Colombian coffee due to its superbly balanced flavour, and in Britain this is no different. Quokka Coffee is made from only the very finest Arabica beans that have been grown and hand-picked with tender care.
In Colombia the conditions are exactly right for growing fine coffee. The mountain slopes of the Andes offer the most suitable combination of sunshine, rainfall, fertile soil and altitude in the world. Coffee grows best in volcanic soil, at 1,200-1,800 meter elevation, in places that are free of frost but receive around 80 inches (200 cm) of rain a year. Colombia is one of very few places that ticks all those boxes.
Colombia is very proud of its reputation as one of the world’s leading producers of high quality coffee and its push towards a more sustainable model has been reflected in its fast growth in the last 15 years.
Consistent, superior quality
Coffee growing is a Colombian tradition dating back to the 18th century; knowledge and skills have been developed and been handed down from generation to generation. All coffee beans do not ripen at the same time so in Colombia coffee is harvested by the unique selective hand-picking method; each field is harvested several times so there is no need to pick anything but perfectly ripe coffee cherries.
Every step in the process from planting to export shipment is subject to a very stringent quality assurance system and only approved coffee given export clearance.
In 1927 the Colombian Cafeteros formed the Colombian Coffee Federation (FNC), a non-profit organisation that ensures that Colombian coffee would always be of the highest quality, and today is the flagship of ethical Colombian coffee production, representing over 500,000 producers.
What does the FNC stand for today
As well as having extremely high standards for quality, the FNC has also become a sign that the coffee you are enjoying has been ethically sourced. This covers three areas; environmental conservation, economic prosperity and social responsibility, so as well as reducing unnecessary deforestation and creating jobs, they also focus on ensuring farmers and workers receive a fair price for the work that they do.
Typical characteristics of FNC Colombian coffee
• Rich, smooth and superbly balanced taste. The perfect, any time of day drink.
• Consistent high quality due to an unrivalled quality assurance system.
• Grown in ideal conditions in a country synonymous with growing coffee since 1736.
• Selective hand-picking for perfect beans.
• Freeze-dried in the heart of the growing areas.
Quokka Coffee guarantees 100% Colombian Arabica coffee and gives the reassurance of an internationally renowned brand!
