Our first connection with monKaaba was through Semilla Coffee, an importer based in Montreal. We met part of the Semilla team at a cupping they organized in Berlin in January 2024, shortly after they expanded their operations to Europe.

The cupping was followed by a video call with the monKaaba initiative in March 2024. Brenda and I took part in this conversation on behalf of Warawul, along with Esnaider Ortega Gomez and Didier Ortega on behalf of monKaaba. The two young producers, children of generational smallholder coffee farmers, have built the monKaaba initiative from the ground up to support smallholder farmers in the region and now run the day-to-day operations at the monKaaba warehouse in San Agustín, Huila. Although we were separated by thousands of kilometers and an 8-hour time difference, the connection was instantaneous. And it was immediately clear that we shared a common vision:

A coffee industry where recognition for the work of coffee producers goes far beyond quality control and evaluation by roasters and extends to the end consumer. Where this simple act of recognition and respect, together with mutual transparency and sustainable prices for coffee, forms the basis for a better value chain for all. (There are, of course, other models that attempt to shift more value to the production side of the value chain, such as joint ownership of a coffee company, e.g. Pachamama Coffee or Paso Paso, or long-standing direct trade or roasting coffee at origin).

In July 2024, the memory of the conversation was still fresh when Semilla invited us on their annual trip to visit the monKaaba community. Esnaider, Didier, Jhon Jairo Gomez from Finca San Rafael and Daniel Muñoz from Finca Villa Camila greeted us at Pitalito airport, an hour and a half flight from Bogotá. Over the next 6 days they drove us up and down the tangle of mountain roads that spread out from San Agustín. We spent a few hours at each of more than a dozen fincas owned by producer families who are part of the group.

Photo: Hand-drawn map and itinerary in the monKaaba warehouse

The visit was an opportunity to learn first-hand about the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Huila and across Colombia. But it was also a chance to see what is possible when a community comes together to support each other in creating alternatives.

In the words of Daniel Muñoz, who runs Finca Villa Camila together with his wife Naydu Chaguendo Gomez, monKaaba is the “realization of a dream and a project led by children of producers from [San Agustín]... who have dared to create this company based on alliance, teamwork and friendship with Brendan, the founder of Semilla Coffee. They have built this on the principles of respect and appreciation.”

Don Daniel adds: “We are very happy and grateful and greatly appreciate the work they have done. Today, many producers have stepped out of anonymity. They show the world what they do and they motivate their children to support coffee farming, to be enamored of it and to see coffee production as a purpose in life.”

Photo: monKaaba producers Silvio Ordonez, Daniel Munoz, Karen Burbano, and Jose Burbano gather around a tank where coffee cherries are collected and floated

The monKaaba project requires that we as roasters and consumers also play a part on our side of the value chain. For us at Warawul, this means building closer ties with producers, working together in a sustainable and long-term way and compiling our own and consumers’ feedback to share with the monKaaba team.

For us as coffee drinkers, it means becoming more aware of what goes into a cup of coffee, most especially about the people who dedicate their lives to growing exceptional coffee. As Jhon Jairo Gomez explained during the trip, it is only possible to achieve change on a larger scale if the individual worlds of producer families, importers, roasters and consumers are connected and we see our coffee not as a mere beverage, but as the work of many people.

We are honored to bring our first two coffees from the monKaaba group:

• Las Juntas, a Pink Bourbon from producer Diever Galindez, and
• La Colmena, a field blend with contributions from nearly 30 producers in the monKaaba group.

Both are available online and at our coffee bar in Berlin.

Photo: Diever Galindez and Anabel at the producer-roaster reunion, where more than 200 people (producers and their families) gathered to share an afternoon together.

Learn more about the monKaaba group https://warawul.coffee/en/producers/monkaaba

Learn more about Diever Galindez https://warawul.coffee/en/producers/diever-galindez

Follow monKaaba on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/monkaaba/

Follow Semilla Coffee on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/semillacoffee/