FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Coﬀee for Peace in Colombia Launches Micro-Lot Program
Amid a global pandemic, the brand-new platform allows coﬀee buyers to establish direct
relationships with coﬀee buyers—and their unique, delicious, and traceable micro-lots—withoutleaving the house.
(March 18, 2020) — Coﬀee for Peace, a USAID-sponsored initiative that works to develop,
facilitate, and promote the trade of traceable coﬀees from historic conflict zones in Colombia,
has launched a brand-new online micro-lot program sharing unique, delicious, and 100%
traceable coﬀees to international buyers.
This connection is taking place through the new online micro-lot program at Coﬀee for Peace’s
Cropster Hub virtual shop. Launched in partnership with Craft Coﬀees—the specialty divisionof the Colombian Coﬀee Growers Federation (FNC)—the site is launching with 9 coﬀees fromregions where Coﬀee for Peace operates, with more oﬀerings to be added each week.
Prospective buyers can see farmer information, price, and many more details. All coﬀees on
the platform will feature fully transparent farmer-to-export costs, with an unprecedentedly large
amount of each purchase guaranteed to the farmer due to the FNC’s ultra-eﬃcient model, andall parties able to see these exact amounts.
Juan Camilo Ramos, Chief Commercial Oﬃcer of the FNC, says, “Through the micro-lot
program we are showcasing the best Colombian coﬀees to the world. Coﬀee for Peace issupporting us in promoting these coﬀees so that producers in conflict areas can have adignifying source of income and can be rewarded for the high-quality coﬀee they produce. We
believe this is a valuable contribution to peace consolidation in Colombia.”
With its online platform, Coﬀee for Peace is promoting a new micro-lot supply chain between
primary farmer organizations (PFOs) and international coﬀee buyers. PFOs—and the individual
farmers within them—receive training through Coﬀee for Peace, as well as market accessthrough the platform to sell their coﬀee internationally. This collaboration-based trade model
harnesses the local expertise of PFOs and the export expertise of the farmer-owned FNC, andpresents it directly to buyers worldwide.
This farmer-buyer connection is also happening in a safe manner amid the global
COVID-19 outbreak. Through this collaborative trade model, buyers can repeatedly accessthe same coﬀees, establishing long-term, direct relationships with farmers and their PFOs, allwithout having to travel, nor require an importer representative to travel internationally.
“At a time like this of global concern, the collaborative model that facilitated the production,
selection, and promotion of these micro-lots is superior,” says Willem Boot of Boot Coﬀee,
which took the initiative to establish the Coﬀee for Peace brand, in collaboration with theCoﬀee for Peace initiative. “It is resistant to disruption; PFOs can continue to produce micro-lots and share them with the global specialty-coﬀee community through the new platform.”
Visitors to Coﬀee for Peace’s Cropster Hub virtual shop can learn more about the coﬀees andrequest samples. All coﬀees placed on Cropster Hub are in the possession of Craft Coﬀees,
warehoused in Bogotá, and samples will be taken from the actual warehoused lots. Once anorder is confirmed, the coﬀees will be milled and then exported within two to three weeks.
###Press Contact: Chris Ryan, Coﬀee for Peace
Email: media@coﬀeeforpeace.org
Coﬀee for Peace in Colombia is an alliance of coﬀee farmers and market allies created todevelop, facilitate, and promote the trade of traceable coﬀees from historic conflict zones inColombia. Sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Coﬀee for
Peace works in in the regions of Antioquia, Bolivar, Caqueta, Cauca, Meta, and Valle, seeking
to make specialty coﬀee a key component in the transition to peace.
The Coﬀee for Peace initiative has been made possible thanks to the generous support of thepeople of the United States, through its agency for international development (USAID). The
content of this press release does not represent the opinions of USAID or those of the UnitedStates Government.