Colombia Clean Water 2024 Update

Currently, there are more than 1.6 million people in Colombia who don’t have access to clean, safe water. Our Farmgate Initiative in partnership with Sucafina in Colombia and Local Partners is working to change that. 

Roasters helped build a water filtration plant that provides clean water to 70 local families and 25 schoolchildren through their purchases of Bochica, Huitaca and Tumbaga.

Sucafina’s on-the-ground partner in Colombia, Local Partners, is a Colombia-based non-profit organization that develops sustainable initiatives for the coffee sector. Working with Cooperativa de Caficultores de Manizales, a cooperative from whom Sucafina sources coffee, Local Partners worked to build a water filtration plant in Los Medios. 

78% of the $19,052 it cost to build the plant came from roasters through sales of Bochica, Huitaca and Tumbaga. The remaining 22% was financed by the cooperative.

Hear from the community and see the plant in action: 

In Los Medios community in Caldas, 70 coffee-growing families didn’t have access to clean water. The community was selected for the first plant because:

• They were dedicated to building and maintaining a water purification system
• Community members held meetings, allocated space to build the plant and contributed labor to help build the plant.
• 51% of farmers in Los Medios work with Cooperativa de Caficultores de Manizales, the cooperative that sources our Bochica, Huitaca and Tumbaga Sucafina Originals.

We needed this. So, we fought for it to move forward because it truly is a project worth bringing to our region.

Luz Nancy Ortiz, a farmer in the community

These are the selection criteria that were used to pick Los Medios as the first community where Sucafina and Local Partners would help build a water treatment system:

In order to build the plant, Sucafina Colombia and Local Partners worked with the aqueduct board to receive permission to build a filtration plant on the aqueduct. Los Medios provided the land for the plant and Local Partners supervised the construction of a cement platform upon which the plant would be built.

The plant can:

•  Treat 2 liters per second
• Provide clean water for 70 families, 36 of whom are coffee growers
• Provide clean water to two local schools with around 25 students 
• Reduce instances of gastrointestinal diseases contracted in the community from 15% to 0% since the plant was completed in late 2023.

In Los Medios, the community will be responsible for daily management and cleaning of the plant. Local Partners will monitor plant usage and work to identify any new needs that arise in the community from this project. The water filtration supplier, PTAP, will monitor the efficacy of the plant.

Roasters will be able to continue investing in clean water filtration plants for coffee producers in their supply chain by purchasing Bochica, Huitaca and Colombia. Interested in learning more or getting involved further? Contact your trader.