FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 1st, 2021

Local coffee roaster gives back to their coffee farming communities.

Colombian Women’s Project

Minturn, Colorado: Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea announced today the completion of their Tolima Colombia coffee outreach project which supports 40 female coffee farmers in Colombia's post-armed conflict zones. Nestled in southwestern Colombia, Tolima is a region rich with mountain ranges, rivers and valleys. The region produces some of the finest coffee in Colombia. In partnership with the Cooperative de Caficultores del Sur del Tolima (CAFISUR) the project provided technical expertise in sustainable farming, processing, and harvesting coffee along with de-pulping and new fermentation equipment to process the raw coffee. Farm structures and homes for women farmers were repaired and legal guidance was provided to formalize ownership of women-owned farms. The result of the four-year project was improved quality of life and gender empowerment, along with support for a sustainable farming community.

For 31 years, Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea has engaged with their coffee farming communities to improve the lives and health of coffee growers. In addition to the CAFISUR Cooperative, they have partnered with the FCLI (a Canadian government fund), Agro Café, and The Coffee Source to create sustainable coffee communities.

“Giving back to the communities that work so hard to produce such excellent coffee is a privilege and gives our company a sense of purpose” CO- Founder Chris Chantler

VMCT sells coffee from the CAFISUR Cooperative as a single origin coffee and incorporates it into many of its signature blends and dark Roasts. VMCT sells their coffee to over 350 wholesale partners across the food and beverage spectrum and recently opened a second café at the base of Beaver Creek.

To learn more about Vail Mountain Coffee & Tea go to https://vailcoffee.com/pages/learn

Esmilda Caicedo with her new washing and de-pulping station