Welcome to 2023. We at Wildkaffee Rösterei hope you had a good start to the new year. The coffee year 2023, like every year, offers numerous innovations as well as resolutions and goals that we as Wildkaffee Rösterei have in mind. We have a lot of cool projects planned, which we would like to briefly introduce to you in this blog article. But we also want to take a closer look at the year 2022, because this year you have already seen numerous innovations, not only in the Wildkaffee Rösterei. Elias Fischbacher from the Wildkaffee Rösterei wishes you lots of fun with the future of coffee in 2023.
Future of coffee - Review of the coffee year 2022
Before we take a closer look at the future of coffee in 2023, let’s look back at the past coffee year of 2022. Last year there were numerous changes in the global coffee trade, also caused by many external influences. But let’s start with the positive news. In 2022, the trend towards sustainability in coffee sourcing will continue. Organic farming is increasingly coming into focus, especially when it comes to cultivation directly on plantations in the countries of origin. This protects the nature surrounding the plantations and also increases the quality of the coffee. This trend now needs to be continued and optimized. This also requires the help of roasters who can positively influence the future of coffee. In this regard, we have planned some exciting projects for the new year, which we will explain in more detail in the following sections. Looking back on 2022, however, it was mainly enormously rising prices, delivery delays and the climatic conditions that turned the entire coffee business upside down. A major consequence was the rising prices, which unfortunately also affected the end consumer.
Future of coffee - Outlook for 2023
But despite all the negative impacts on the global coffee market, we want to focus on the future of coffee . Above all, we want to address the circumstances in order to shape the future of coffee in a sustainable way. That is why we have given this a lot of thought over the past year and developed a number of projects that are particularly focused on sustainability and the re-emergence of former coffee regions. The Buenos Aires Coffee School Project is our pilot project with which we want to shape the future of coffee in a sustainable and non-profit manner. The focus is particularly on organic farming. You can find out more in the following sections.
Future of Coffee - Buenos Aires Coffee School Project
The Buenos Aires Coffee School Project is definitely the driving force behind our project coffees. We have set up a coffee school on our own plantation, which aims to promote the future of coffee in the Buenos Aires region of El Salvador. Not long ago, outstanding specialty coffees were grown in the region, even producing some Cups of Excellence. Due to economic instability, leaf rust and high crime rates in the region, all coffee cultivation and coffee trade came to a standstill. The result: rows of empty coffee plantations and a bleak future for coffee throughout El Salvador.
It is precisely these grievances that we are addressing with the Coffee School Project. We have set up a kind of academy on our own plantation, where we support local farmers with targeted training on correct, high-yield cultivation, new varieties, processing methods and export. The project is led by Rodolpho Ruffati, with whom we have been working for years. The aim of the project is to make the future of coffee in the Buenos Aires region a positive one. We want to create a community that supports each other and grows together with us, so that coffee cultivation and the general future of coffee is once again seen as an opportunity.
Future of Coffee - Coffee Trip in December 2022
As I have reported several times, we regularly visit our farmers in the countries of origin on our coffee tours. This year the focus was of course on the Coffee School Project in El Salvador. The progress was reviewed together with all partners and joint seminars and cuppings with other roasters and farmers also took place on the trip. The direct exchange with all those involved always brings out new views and ideas that serve as a particularly helpful basis for inspiration for the future of coffee. This year and in the future, Organic Farming play a major role. This means that on the plantations the surrounding nature and the unique volcanic soils are treated with particular care and consideration. After visiting the Coffee School project, we went to Colombia to visit the Arhuaco Indians. More in the following section.
Future of Coffee - Coffee Arhuaco
Have you ever heard of the Arhuaco Indians? No? Then it's about time! Because the Arhuaco Indians from Colombia are already providing sustainable solutions for the future of coffee! The Arhuaco have been self-sufficient for centuries and make their living from growing coffee, sugar cane and grain, among other things. What is special about it is that the Arhuaco Indians work completely without chemicals and technical aids. They live in harmony with nature and this is exactly how very original coffees are produced, which produce completely different flavors than we are used to from today's varieties and cultivation methods. This sustainable, nature-based cultivation also serves as an excellent stimulus for the Coffee School Project when it comes to organic farming.
Future of Coffee - The Importance of Organic Farming
Organic Farming - This is sustainable, biodynamic processing from the farm to the roasting. In times of global warming, organic farming is becoming increasingly important. The Arhuaco Indians' cultivation served as inspiration for organic farming. We were able to learn some exciting methods that promote organic farming and the sustainable future of coffee on the Coffee School Project plantation. Organic farming will continue to be important in the future. is being intensified more and more so that the nutrient-rich soils of the Buenos Aires region are treated as carefully as possible. Our partner farmer Rodolpho Ruffati is already making his own fertilizers, completely free of pesticides and chemicals, from the remains of the processing station (the coffee cherry).
Conclusion
Sustainable coffee will play a key role in the future of coffee, not just in 2023. With our project coffees from El Salvador, Coffee School Project, and Colombia, from the Arhuaco Indians, we specifically promote organic farming. This means that the unique nature and the soil are treated as carefully as possible. This results in unique coffees that, thanks to the very original handling, also contain notes of intense flavor . Which specialty coffees await you and, most importantly, when? You can already get the first coffee from our Coffee School project in our online shop . For the Colombia Arhuaco, however, you will have to wait until the second quarter of this year. The ideas and impulses from this coffee trip are already being implemented, so that in the near future you will be able to enjoy exquisite coffees cultivated and processed according to the principles of organic farming. We are excited to share these unique coffees with you!
