From this Friday until April 24, buyers from Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden will meet at the Helsinki Coffee Festivalthe most important specialized meeting in northern Europe that this year will receive more than 10,000 visitors in the Finnish capital.
(Coffee production in the country fell 13% during March).
For the first time Colombia will have a stand organized by ProColombia with the support of the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) and the Embassy of Colombia in Finland.
“We are sure that this participation, which we achieved jointly and in coordination with the Federation and the Embassy, will translate into important opportunities for Colombia in the Nordic countries, which are the main consumers per capita of coffee in the world and which come increasing its purchases of Colombian grain”, said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.
(Why, if Colombia is a producer, does it import coffee).
For his part, Roberto Vélez Vallejo, general manager of the National Federation of Coffee Growers, stated: “Finland is the largest consumer per capita in the world and values the high quality of Colombian coffee. The presence of our grain and our brand during the Helsinki Coffee Festival is strategic to continue captivating the palate of Finnish consumers.”
According to statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), Finland is the largest consumer of coffee in the world with 11.9 kg per capita, followed by Norway with 9.8 kg, Iceland with 8.9 kg and Denmark with 8. 6kg
In addition, according to figures from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane), Colombia exported US$112.1 million in coffee to the Nordic countries in 2021, US$90,000 more compared to 2020 and 21% more than in 2019.
Between last January and February, exports totaled US$24.8 million, 22% more than in the same period of 2021mainly due to higher purchases from Finland and Sweden.
At the Festival will be the barista from Tolima Diego Campos, world barista champion in Milan 2021, who will make constant coffee preparations for visitors.
“There is a great opportunity in the Nordic market, since people are very attracted to the Colombian grain, because they find versatility in profiles, flavors and stories. As in all parts of the world, Colombian coffee is highly desired, and we have seen that here in Finland a lot of coffee is consumed and that the product from Colombia is very popular”, Campos said.
In addition to the Colombian coffee tastings, the country will have an important participation in the academic agenda of the Helsinki Coffee Festival.
on the dashboard “Challenges and possibilities for the production and cultivation of coffee in Colombia” Will be the champion Campos and Carolina Castañeda Gaviria, director of the FNC in Europe, accompanied by Mike Akins, director of the Finnish roaster Kaffa; Mikko Kauppinen, founder of Finn-owned Las Ventanas farm in the heart of Colombia’s coffee region; and Johan Morén, general manager of Johan & Nyström, one of the main buyers of specialty coffees in Finland.
The second panel will be focused on sustainability and will also have the participation of Castañeda; Esteban Faber, Green Coffee Sourcing Manager at Paulig, the largest coffee roaster in Finland, and Josetta Nousjoki, Director of Fairtrade Finland and Sweden.
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