Laura Moreno Motta: From Laura's farm to your cup

EPISODE #1

From Laura's farm to your cup

Laura Monero Motta is a farmer of Café Quindìo, the best coffee in Colombia. In this episode of Behind Your Coffee season 2 she talks about the first link in the Coffee Value Chain. Farmers are responsible for achieving excellent taste while respecting the integrity of coffee beans and nature.

The coffee value chain begins with the farmers

What does “good coffee” actually mean? It’s not just a question of aroma and flavor but also of the growers and their respect for the environment; without good growing practices, there would be no good coffee. Every cup tells a story, and every story starts on the farm.

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Where it all begins

Farming, the first step of coffee production, comprises several crucial components. Before acquiring a parcel, farmers analyze the territory and conditions to ensure the cherries thrive. The lead-up to the first blossom is fundamental; farmers meticulously cultivate the land to create optimal conditions for the fruit, which can take up to four years to bloom.

Laura of the family-run Café Quindío farm was born and raised in the UNESCO-protected Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia. Following in her farmer father’s footsteps, she discusses how farming lays the groundwork for the entire coffee production process.
“We have a huge responsibility with the rest of the value chain: although it has many steps, if we don’t do a good job, the flavor won’t be good,” she says. “Perfection comes only with the commitment and communication of all the people involved.”

Quality counts

It may be challenging, but love for nature, the land, and this profession is the key.

Quality stands front and center, and Laura states that achieving high quality requires both knowledge of and respect for the fruit.

Laura approaches the intricate harvesting process with a simple philosophy: we should treat the crops just as we’d treat ourselves. So, just as a certain “quality of life” fosters human fulfillment, the fruits need the right amount of shade, ideal climatic conditions, and adherence to certification standards to flourish.

Laura, along with many other growers, doesn’t confine her responsibility to the farm: she aims to upend a regional dilemma. The UNESCO-protected territory’s finest products get exported, leaving locals to sip significantly inferior coffee. To help overturn this practice, Laura strives to make good coffee accessible to her compatriots and educate them on how to appreciate the product as coffee lovers abroad do.

Gedanken zum Thema Verantwortung

Laura erklärt, dass es ein verantwortungsbewusster Erzeuger ist, der einen Kaffee «perfetto» macht.

Sie verarbeitet die verschiedenen Arabica-Bohnen der Plantage unter Verwendung von möglichst wenig Wasser und pflanzt zum Schutz der Biodiversität und der Bodenerhaltung Obstbäume an. Sobald die Kaffeekirschen ihren optimalen Reifegrad erreicht haben, werden sie von Hand geerntet, manuell verlesen und in der Sonne getrocknet.
Ihre Entscheidung für dieses nachhaltige Verfahren ist Teil der kollektiven Verantwortung, die sie mit ihren Kollegen teilt – jeder muss seinen Beitrag dazu leisten, den Verbrauchern den bestmöglichen Kaffee zu liefern. Die Verantwortung, die Laura zu Beginn der Produktionskette übernimmt, sollte von jedem weiteren Glied der Kette ebenfalls übernommen werden. Und sie ist der Ansicht, dass ein Grossteil der Verantwortung gegenüber den Verbrauchern darin besteht, Kaffee aus frisch gemahlenen Bohnen zu brühen. Eine ideale Zubereitung beruht allerdings noch auf einer weiteren verantwortungsbewussten Entscheidung: auf herausragender Technologie, die es ermöglicht, die Nuancen jeder Tasse hervorzubringen.