Colombia is well known for its organic coffee. There are three main types of organic certification for Colombian coffee - USDA, UTZ, and Rainforest Alliance. Coffee grows best in Colombia at elevations between 3,000-7,000 feet in the mountainous regions like Manizales, which have rich volcanic soil, cool temperatures, high rainfall and cloud cover. The central Colombian coffee growing region has many preserved habitats for birds and shade grown coffee varieties.

1. Colombian Coffee Facts
Colombian Coffee Facts
Song Bird in the Colombian Cafetero
www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org

2. If you are looking for a list of great organic
coffees you cannot do better than
Colombian organic coffee brands.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

3. In this article we present a few Colombian
coffee facts, organic and otherwise.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

4. The first of our Colombian organic coffee
facts is that you can find three kinds of
healthy organic coffee in Colombia.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

5. Three Ways to Certify
Organic Coffee from
Colombia
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

6. The gold standard for organic coffee certification is
the United States Department of Agriculture. The
USDA only certifies as organic coffee that is grown
so that farm resources or constantly renewed, soil is
conserved and water sheds and water supplies are
protected for future generations. There are two
drawbacks to getting USDA certification. The first is
that getting certified typically costs $500 each time
the inspector comes which can be very expensive for
a small grower. The next of our Colombian coffee
facts regarding USDA is the USDA does not help
coffee growers promote their products.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

7. UTZ Certification is another route to follow
for the healthiest organic coffees. UTZ
promotes good agricultural practices and
environmental protection as well as safe and
healthy working conditions plus the
abolishment of child labor. In addition they
help growers promote their products.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

8. Rainforest Alliance Certification is part of a
broader sustainable agriculture program that
includes
coffee, bananas, cocoa, oranges, cut
flowers, ferns, and tea. Like UTZ, Rainforest
Alliance helps growers promote their
products.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

9. Where Does Coffee
Grow in Colombia?
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

10. The next of our Colombian coffee facts has
to do with the Cafetero, the Colombian
coffee growing district.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

11. You could, in fact, grow coffee anywhere in
Colombia except on the beaches below the
high tide line and on the tops 15,000 foot
high mountains like Nevada Ruiz in the
heart of the Cafetero.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

12. But coffee does best between three and
seven thousand feet in the topics in regions
with lots of rain and lots of cloud cover. Here
we are describing the conditions
surrounding Manizales, Colombia and the
departments (states) of
Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio, and Valle de
Cauca.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

13. Other Colombian
Coffee Facts
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

14. There are lots shade grown Colombian
coffee varieties and lots of preserved habitat
for birds on coffee plantations.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

15. The central region of Colombia was not
settled by Europeans until the middle of the
19th century.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

16. This contrasts with the founding of colonial
Spanish cities such as Cartagena and Santa
Marta on the Caribbean which were founded
just a generation after Columbus discovered
the New World. Several families made the
trip inland to the mountainous area West of
Bogota where they founded Manizales with
the specific intention of growing coffee in the
rich volcanic soil of the cool, cloudy and
rainy highlands.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

17. Volcanic Soil Comes
from Volcanos
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

18. There are still active volcanos in Colombia.
Nevada Ruiz was responsible for the largest
loss of life from a volcanic eruption in South
American history.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

19. This was just 30 years ago and the volcano
continues to throw off ash from time to time
as the dome rises a few inches every year.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/

20. The volcanos are under constant watch and
are responsible for the rich soil in which
Colombia coffee grows.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/987/colombian-coffee-facts/