Serving People Serving Coffee Since 2005
Issue link: http://baristamagazine.epubxp.com/i/804825
COLOMBIA LONG BEFORE CRAFT COFFEE was a trendy glimmer in the eye of retailers, my father and grandfather were steadfast in their commitment to establishing direct-market relationships with the producers from whom their company, Peerless Coffee & Tea, did business. Since the modest birth of Peerless Coffee in 1924 in Oakland, Calif., we've been passionate about sustainability through signifi cant fi nancial and educational contributions to coffee farmers and farm co- ops all over the world. Peerless' second-generation CEO, and my father, George Vukasin Sr., was awarded the Manual Mejia Coffee Medal of Honor by the president of Colombia's National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) in 2001. In the elaborate medal ceremony, Peerless was singularly rec- ognized "for major contributions to furthering sustainability education and supporting farmers far beyond price negotiations." This distinction was a great honor to my father, and he took the responsibility to continue operating a business that lived up to it with a tremendous sense of duty. When he passed on at the age of 82 in February of 2016, my sister, Kristina, and I—having studied the fami- ly business and ethos under my father—assumed the same intensity of accountability to our producer partners that our dad had modeled. This commitment has come at no small expense to Peerless: We pay a considerable premium for coffees that, by the typical hospital- ity roaster's quality standards, can't score below 84. As one of North America's top contributors to countless Fair Trade–directed human- itarian efforts to aid impoverished coffee farmers in some of the poorest regions of the world, Peerless has always been as dedicated to quality for customers as to quality of life for producers. This was the norm under my father's direction, and we're determined to not only continue this legacy, but to strive to make it even more effective moving forward. In Colombia—just as in the 17 other countries within which we nurture long-standing farm-direct relationships—the local population survives on agriculture, with coffee as their predominant cash crop. Often when I'm on a buying trip, I'm fortunate to travel alongside partners like Sustainable Harvest's David Griswold, who demonstrate exceptional practices in helping and guiding farmers to grow and process the best coffees they can. I'm so proud to share that from 2013–2015, Peerless, via Fair Trade–certifi ed programs, contributed $89,389 to educate farmers on surviving the effects of roya; and providing technical assistance, price- risk management, and infrastructure improvements. During those same years, Peerless also donated $91,174 to scholarships for children, women's empowerment programs, and agricultural sustainability training in Colombia and other countries of origin. I went to see the results of these contributions myself on a recent trip through three Colombian growing regions, and I couldn't have come away more inspired. N E I VA , H U I L A My return to Colombia was fi lled with excitement and emotional nostalgia. The last time I was in the country was when my father Opposite page, top: The lush coff ees fi elds in Huila are perfectly situated to produce some of the world's most prized coff ees. Views like this always remind me of what could be. The coff ees grown in this fi eld will one day make it to my cupping spoon, and I will have the honor to taste all that went into creating that one sip. Below: Yours truly at the Colombian Coff ee Federation (FNC) cupping lab trying desperately not to miss the spi oon. The breadth and quality of coff ees that I have been fortunate enough to cup in that room is truly amazing. I admire and support the FNC's goal of achieving 100-percent sustainability for all Colombian-grown coff ee by their 100th anniversary in 2027. This page: As the owner of a 1985 Jeep CJ7, I fell in love with this beauty—especially when I saw it loaded up with coff ee. While Jeep "Willys" were only produced from 1941–45, I guess the owner of this 1974 four-wheeler is named Willis? 51 www.baristamagazine.com