Interviews in English

Interview with José Joaquín Ordoñez (Colombia)

1. Where does your passion for coffee come from? Why do you work with coffee?

I got connected to coffee through my family, we all produce coffee, we were born and grew up with coffee and have been growing this bean for generations.

I work with coffee because our land and our climate favour coffee growing and because it is a source of income for the family economy.

2. What did you do before you worked with Coffee?

In my life I was always busy with the tasks of coffee growing: picking coffee cherries, washing coffee, drying coffee, etc. Then I started to study the university. At first it was something other than coffee.  But life led me back to coffee and so I learned over time to taste and profile coffee specialties and  fell in love with this beautiful activity. Today, our aim is to produce the best coffee and to manage the whole process with the greatest care.

3. What is the most important thing about working in coffee for you? What is a good coffee for you?

The most important thing about working in coffee is that it is a family business. It is very nice to see how parents and children work together in a coffee plantation, harvesting and caring for the plants.

For me, a good coffee is a coffee that, apart from a good degree of purity in itself, contains characteristics of a region or pleasant aromas that the consumer can enjoy, in other words it has a specific profile that distinguishes it from other coffees.

4. How do you prefer to drink your own coffee?

I prefer to drink filter coffee. My favourite filter is the V60, because this method of preparation allows the unique aromas of each coffee to be best appreciated.

5. What do you think about fair trade?

Fair trade is the way to reward the work and dedication of thousands of families who do this work. If their work is profitable, the coffee farmers will be motivated to develop and work to produce better quality coffee every day.

6. Is there anything else you would like to tell/add?

Coffee is a world of its own.  Every day, more and more consumers and experts are interested in how coffee is produced and processed – in their own way, they contribute to making this wonderful plant more appreciated and valued. This also honours those who are behind the production chain, especially the coffee farmer who produces this fruit by exposing himself to the sun and water every day for 8 months. He brings in the harvest and so the beans begin their long journey, reaching many parts of the world.

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.