Colombia is considered by some as a troubled country. Poverty is rife, and the drug and gang problems are widely publicised. However, Colombia was a shining beacon in the coffee world in how to organise a farmers cooperative to support the individual coffee plantation owner against the international pressures of a billion dollar agro-industry.
Long before Fair-trade, Colombia was a textbook example of agricultural sustainability and farmers’ participation. It was one of the most successful counter-examples to the complaint that 3rd world producers were at the whim of 1st world consumers. However, it is now far from Utopia and poverty is still a major issue with powerful world markets dictating large price fluctuations that farmers (everywhere) cannot truly escape. What all farmers crave is price stability, a fair price for a fair days work and the prospect of a reasonable income to support their families.
Politics in the 1980’s unfortunately got in the way. President Kennedy in the 1960’s was of the view that the International Coffee Agreement was essential in the support of Latin America. However, by the time that Reagan was president, interest had turned towards Central America and the quota system that had supported Coffee prices was abandoned.
It is with this as a backdrop, that Miya Coffee is born. The Popyan Meseta region is an area that is located in the southern central coffee belt in the South West part of the country. On top of the market price that the farmer can get for the coffee crop, the Fairtrade iniative guarantees a premium price over and above the market price. Together with the Organic nature of the coffee a further extra premium is added to the price. To top it all, the market for Miya coffee is enhanced because all the carbon emissions from its transport from the farmer to here in the UK has been totally offset. In fact Miya coffee, just to make sure, offsets approximately 3 times the amount of estimated carbon emitted from its journey here making Miya the leading ‘Footprint Friendly’ alternative.
Miya coffee really does help others, while helping the environment and helping yourself.
Miya is supplied to cafes,
restaurants, offices and kitchens throughout the UK...
