Colombian Connection Coffee is the culmination of Director, Cesar X Vela’s dedication towards developing a brand that provides premium quality Colombian coffee beans to their loyal customers. A long-time stallholder, we sat down with them to talk about the brand’s evolution and their mission to engage in sustainable direct-trade practices and ethical sourcing of coffee.
Can you tell us about your coffee?
We are an Australian coffee roasting company dedicated to Colombian Specialty Coffee. Colombian coffee has been famous around the world, since the mid 1900’s for its quality & flavour. It is one of the very few countries in the world with steady temperatures all year through. Production never stops and the overwhelming diversity of ecosystems are the secret to Colombia’s reputation as the number one quality coffee producing nation.
Being able to source such a variety of quality beans from a single country means that we can select only the finest produce and ship it directly to our roastery. This ensures freshness, consistency and quality.
What makes your coffee stand out?
All our coffees are direct trade with cooperatives, coffee farmers and their communities.
Most specialty coffee roasters focus their ethical and sustainable purchases on their exotic and special coffees only. Commonly their espresso blends (which account for at least 80% of their total sales) are designed with commercial graded coffees traded as commodities subject to international exchange prices. These prices are controlled by financial markets, instruments and speculative forces which often don’t care about where coffee comes from, its environment, costs of production or the living conditions farmers and communities experience on a daily basis.
Direct trade not only guarantees consistency and higher quality. It also provides with a transparent channel where producer and roasters meet up in a middle point where social and environmental sustainability are possible.
Any interesting or fun facts about your staff?
Cesar first arrived in Australia in 1999 to study Audio Engineering and Acoustic design. Not fitting in the commonly known South American profile he is a Hard Rock and Heavy Metal fan. He played at different local bands for several years before falling in love with coffee. Colombian Connection Coffee represents such eclectic-ness. Coincidentally, most of our staff are creatives: musicians, DJs, actors, designers and painters.
What is the ethos behind your business?
We believe that the future of coffee is in the hands of farmers and their communities. They are the custodians of the land, and they need the right support to do their part accordingly. Social and environmental sustainability is only possible when the production chain is balanced and everyone in it is treated fairly.
What do you love about the Carriageworks Farmers Market?
Carriageworks Farmers Markets has been an important platform for us. It made it possible for Colombian Connection Coffee to exist. Our company was born there. Regardless of our constant evolution, having now a HQ facility at Marrickville and a continuous growth within the Specialty Coffee Scene, Carriageworks will always be home for us.
We also love that very strong sense of community and mateship within the vast majority of stallholders and all the Carriageworks staff.
Make sure to visit Colombian Connection Coffee next time you’re at the Carriageworks Farmers Market. Open from 8am – 1pm, every Saturday.