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New Coffee Release - UVI Cochadas  |  Our Relationship with UVI

New Coffee Release - UVI Cochadas | Our Relationship with UVI

Jan, 2023

The average age of a coffee producer in Colombia is 63. This number is especially alarming when you consider the fact that in 2019, the average age was 55. This trend is due to the fact that very few young coffee producers are joining the industry in Colombia, something that needs to change in order for coffee to thrive in that area. That’s where two of Knowledge Perk’s industry partners come in: Unblended and Ventola.

UVI, now called the Young Producers Program, has a goal to make coffee an exciting career path for young people, and to equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to create exciting and fulfilling careers in agriculture. They express a purpose to “guide each coffee producer member of the program in the creation of their own coffee project – positioning their brand internationally and helping them improve their company’s profitability through the creation of differentiated products.” Their members go through different modules focused on the US market, branding and products, international experience, investing in production, and marketing and sales. One of the recent projects undertaken by UVI is the Cochadas farm, where they are developing a unique new coffee processing method.

The UVI Cochadas farm is a community lot in the Antioquia region created through the UVI program with 6 coffee farmers: Jose Vasquez, Yamile Arboleda, Daniel Rendon, Ramon Marulanda, Monica Andrea Castaño, and Juan Camilo Salazar. The benefit of a community lot is that producers with lower production capabilities can meet a certain demand through carefully monitored production and processing of the same coffees on their individual farms, which are later combined into one unified product.

With the Cochadas processing method, coffee cherries are harvested in batches and hand-sorted. As the coffee is sorted, it is placed in barrels for the fermentation process to begin. As the harvesting and sorting continues, the new coffee cherries are added to the fermentation barrels on top of the old cherries. This creates distinct layers in the coffee, with some having fermented for longer than others, resulting in a depth to the acidity. After a set period of five days, the fermentation process is complete, and the coffee goes on to be washed to remove all of the pulp and mucilage from the green coffee. The coffee is then brought together at a dry mill in Medellin, where it is dried for 3-4 weeks.

Knowledge Perk prides itself in working through direct trade with coffee producers when possible. This allows for the greatest level of transparency, as well as allows us to better tell the story of our coffee and its producers. Direct trade is also how we try to maintain sustainability in coffee production, seeking to end the cycle of increasing and decreasing prices by offering a consistent, sustainable price to producers. Through our relationship with UVI and Unblended, we have taken the Cochadas coffee and developed it into a beautiful light roast. This full-bodied coffee features tasting notes of mountain apple, floral tea, and honey. It’s a sweet, unique cup that is sure to satisfy.

You can learn more about UVI, Unblended, and Ventola by visiting www.ventola.coffee or www.unblended.coffee. You can also purchase a bag of Knowledge Perk’s UVI Cochadas coffee online at knowledgeperk.com.

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Partnership with Educate2Envision International

Partnership with Educate2Envision International

Sept, 2022

In the mountains of Honduras, coffee, right behind bananas, is the top economic driver for a developing nation whose citizens face many economic and social challenges. More than 100,000 Honduran families are involved in coffee production, 95% are small scale farmers and many rely on family labor to make the business work. Knowledge Perk has a strong relationship with Honduras, our customers too. KP’s popular cold brew has its origins at Finca Mira Flores farm with fourth generation coffee farmer Joel Banegas. Finca Mira Flores is located in Los Planes, Comayagua region of south-central Honduras.

Knowledge Perk’s Honduras connection is now even stronger through a partnership with Educate2Envision International, which provides support to coffee farming communities in rural Honduras. The children of coffee producers in Honduras face many challenges when it comes to furthering their education after primary school. Dangerous or impassable roads, long distances, lack of transportation, and financial barriers make it very difficult for these children to get the education they need to be able to help their families and communities grow. E2E is an incredible organization that makes it possible for many of these children to get the advanced education they need.

Through our partnership with E2E we are funding projects in the Los Planes region. These projects are selected by students in the school who identify opportunities to improve their own community. The most recent project was the completion of a concrete floor for an elderly coffee farmer living in poor conditions. More projects are planned that will help strengthen the community and impact these rural communities.

Flourishing Community and Better World are two of the foundational tenets of Knowledge Perk. It is a unique honor to, in part, fulfill that mission by making a direct impact on coffee growing communities in regions where we source coffee beans. If you would like to join us in supporting this vision, you can make a donation on E2E's website and come by your local Knowledge Perk café to enjoy a cold brew!

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