Coffee was first cultivated commercially in Colombia in the mid-1830s and during the twentieth century was the country’s main export crop. A mountainous topography and many tropical micro-climates gives much of Colombia ideal growing conditions.

Colombia has around 875,000 hectares planted with coffee. The main coffee varietals that are grown today include Caturra, Colombia, Tipica, Bourbon, Maragogype and Tabi. Farms and co-ops – large and small – are tended by more than 500,000 coffee growers located throughout 590 municipalities and 14 principal coffee regions.

In total, an estimated 2,000,000 Colombians depend on coffee and the together they generate some 12.5% of the agricultural GDP. Coffee is a vital source of foreign revenues and 75% of the production is exported worldwide.