We source exceptional green coffee directly from the farms in Colombia.
What we do
We work with coffee roasters in the UK and Ireland, connecting rural farming communities in Colombia which are economically under-developed, and until recently these regions have been affected by internal conflict.
Company history
Colombian Artisan Coffee is a privately owned company, which prepares and exports Colombian-grown, green Arabica coffee beans. It is owned and operated by Diana and Brian Shanks.
Diana is a Professional in Management of Information Systems and has been working in Development for Latin America and the Caribbean. Diana is from San Roque, which is a town and municipality in the Antioquia region, located in the central Andes of Colombia, where the conditions are perfect for producing high-quality Arabica beans. There are 2000 coffee growers from San Roque including 3 of Diana´s brothers and 2 nephews who are currently working to grow better coffee in the region; the growers have committed to attain the highest quality standards possible to revitalize the coffee culture.
Brian originated the idea to export and gain access to international markets for the Coffee farmers. His background is in Financial Technology with a strategic view on the business. He is the main point of contact for our UK and Irish clients.
Our project also benefits the development of the local community and it is promoting Direct Coffee Trade.
Our way of working
We operate a collaborative supply chain. This involves all of the suppliers, intermediaries, and buyers acting as a community, to harness the strength of their combined production, access to international markets, and connect with coffee roasters in Europe who have a requirement for high quality, sustainable coffee.
We have a very close connection to the coffee growers, they are our family.
We nurture our local knowledge and cultural ties with the community that we serve in Colombia. Our goal is to make this remote area of Latin America a beacon of economic success. We bring our key roasters and clients to visit our farmers in Colombia. Our partners love to visit the farmers and help them with the coffee production process on our annual origin trips that occur during the main harvest in Colombia annually.
We set aside part of our profit to help to fund local agricultural training and experimentation projects
Our motivation
We believe that by connecting our farmers with European roasters we support their local economy, while also delivering superb luxury green coffee to Europe. Coffee farmers often operate in small remote communities and have limited access to resources, our aim is to generate higher incomes and investment in this area and to counteract the effects of globalization and commoditisation.
Transparency
We like our buyers to know as much as possible about the farmers who produce their beans- the hardships they face and the care they give to their trade. We are happy to show the price given to the farmers that reflects the quality and premium nature of their production.