The future. We do not know that much about it or what it will look like. But there is one thing we know for sure; it is coming. Faster than we imagine. Actually, there is one more thing. We know that the decisions we make and what we do today affect the future and how it will be. I believe it is an opportunity we have to make the most of.
Today, it is impossible not to think of Greta Thunberg w
He was six years old when he had his first coffee. By then he did not know coffee was going to be his greatest interest. Something he would even dream about at night. Meet Alex Ntatsos, barista at Löfbergs Rosteri & Kaffebar in Stockholm and Sweden’s representative at the World Latte Art Championship.
It is Tuesday morning and the mist is slowly lifting in the small mountain village of Heliconia in Antioquia in northwest Colombia. We are on our way home to Emilio Gonzalés, one of the participants of Next Generation Coffee, Löfbergs' initiative for the next generation of coffee farmers.
"After my in-depth study of the many and often complex flavours of East African coffees, I make my way home again by the winding mountain roads. I am filled with interesting impressions and ideas as well as admiration for how small seeds can grow into the most beautiful coffee trees if handled in the right way."
At the beginning of the year, it rains a lot in Brazil. Usually. This year, the country is experiencing its severest drought in a very long time. It has left its marks, especially among Brazilian coffee farmers. But despite the drought and water rationing, our purchaser Martin meets hopeful coffee farmers on his journey in the Brazilian state Minas Gerais.
Travelling is an important part of our job. We spend around 150 days a year visiting coffee farmers around the world. Long-standing and close relations ensure quality and positive development. This time, Therese went to Ethiopia on a journey where she got to meet one of Africa’s coffee queens.
Our purchasing and supply manager Martin once again travelled around the mountain slopes of Central America. He met with coffee farmer that are worried about low world-market prices at the same time as they are fighting the biggest outbreak of leaf rust for decades. But he also saw how the transition to more sustainable farming practices provides hope for the future.
