The Colombian Coffee Federation is not owned by the government or in the hands of a few wealthy landowners. It isn’t an “international” organization. It isn’t a political organization, either, but a commercial organization. The Colombian Coffee Federation is a cooperative, owned by over 500,000 cafeteros, or coffee farmers from Colombia.

The Colombian Coffee Federations serves various purposes.

It inspects and insures that all coffee exported with the Juan Valdez ® label is 100% Colombian coffee and not a mixed bag of beans from various coffee trees. This has, then, given Colombian coffee farmers a better market value and bottom line price. The high quality coffee and reputation help insure the well being of the Colombian cafeteros. Colombian coffee is in demand.

The Federation insures that all profits will go back to the cafeteros in Colombia – the coffee farmers themselves. Some of these farmers work on less than 5 acres of land of coffee, so it’s important that the smallest farm is treated just as fairly as the biggest farm.

The Federation is also a kind of insurance for the coffee farmer. In times of surplus, the Federation will always purchase the farmer’s coffee. For instance, in the early 1990s when the market price of coffee plummeted, the Federation saved thousands of coffee farms and covered a $1.5 billion dollar deficit. The farmer doesn’t have to sell to the Federation, though, and is under no legal obligation to do so. There are many other coffee traders working within Colombia. The Federation, by no means, has created a monopoly on coffee exports from Colombia. The open market works to inspire and motivate the Federation to work its best. The Federation is a great backup and insurance for cafeteros.

The Federation is involved in education on all levels from building schools in small communities to training agricultural advisors. The Federation runs agricultural colleges and leads the world in R & D for coffee where over 100 scientists and chemists work. These scientists work to find more ecologically safe products, better beans, and ways to improve both growth and production of the coffee trees.

The Federation has started to educate cafeteros so they diversify their crops, encouraging cafeteros to not count exclusively on revenue from their coffee plantations.

The Federation promotes Colombian coffee around the world – through television, print, and radio ads. The Federation even had a spot in the 2002 Jim Carey movie, Bruce Almighty. The latest Federation promotion is opening a chain of Juan Valdez ® coffee houses throughout the world. Again, all coffee sold with the Juan Valdez ® label comes exclusively from 100% Colombian coffee, from Colombian cafeteros. The money made is pumped back into the Colombian economy, bettering Colombian communities, schools, and lives.