Today, more than ever, there is an urgent need to manage our specialty coffee production system as a multidisciplinary activity.

Goodbye to those days when coffee was seen as “just another agricultural activity”. When coffee production was considered an isolated event on the farms, taking place in remote producing countries.  Where there was little or no connection between what happens here in the “producing counties” and in the  “consuming countries”.

This threshold between “us” and “them” is getting closer and closer by the day. In fact, producing countries like Panama are becoming consumers of our own specialty coffees. Who would have thought 5 years ago that Boquete would have their own Specialty Coffee shop in town? And now, this is something that we are seeing and enjoying more and more!

In order to make Specialty Coffee a more successful industry, the producing side needs to be more and more in contact with the consuming side. It is no longer about “just growing coffee”.

Nowadays,  it is important to know what varietals of coffee people are looking for, what are the most popular processes, what regions of the world are more into acidity or bitterness etc. 

It is about understanding the market, the climate, the trends, the social context, and how those trends will look in 5 or even 10 years time! Why, because it takes 4 or 5 years for newly planted trees to even produce!

Coffee is a demanding activity. But, Specialty coffee? Much more so!

We appreciate that the value of having different perspectives, experiences, even different generations, and cultures working together at Cuatro Caminos Coffee Estates, gives us a very powerful advantage in this extremely competitive and constantly evolving industry.