Central and South America

The high mountains and humid rainforests of Central and South America provide the perfect climate for growing coffee. We source our beans from across the continent, from southern Mexico, through the central regions to Colombia, Peru and the high plateaus of Brazil.

Brazil

Today, most of the world’s coffee comes from Brazil; favored for its mild acidity, smoothness and bittersweet chocolate notes. We are among the country’s largest coffee exporters, with extensive integrated processing capabilities and expertise on the ground, to supply roasters around the world.

Colombia

Known for its rich, mild flavor, today experts consider Colombian coffee among the best in the world. Our on-the-ground presence in Colombia is supported by three coffee mills and a network of buying offices. We offer most coffee varieties and qualities, including regional specialties like Medellín, Huila, and Tolima.

Guatemala

Guatemala is the tenth largest coffee origin in the world, blessed with over 300 microclimates, rich volcanic soil and a long artisanal tradition of coffee production. ofi is one of the country’s top 4 exporters with an upstream buying model that allows us to directly source micro lots from individual farmers that we know personally, for a fully traceable, specialty cup.

Honduras

The coffee from the Central American coffee powerhouse Honduras, is known for its smooth, sweet flavor. Our agronomy and buying experts source from over 800 farmers and cooperatives to offer a full range of popular arabica varieties, as well as specialty coffees from areas like Marcala and San Marco.

Mexico

Coffee did not arrive in Mexico until the late 18th century, but today the country is one of the world’s largest producing origins, with a lot to offer. Distinctive and fruity profiles, a positive social and environmental impact, and a rich coffee-producing heritage. Our team of 38 agronomy and buying experts work with over 100 cooperatives and farmer groups to source mainstream and specialty coffees. Our origination capabilities have been enhanced by establishing two coffee mills supported by seven buying units.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua’s rich volcanic soils, tropical climate and mountainous regions provide the perfect ground for high-grade coffee. As a top three exporter, ofi brings Nicaragua’s certified and specialty arabicas to roasters worldwide, supporting over 2,000 farmers and their families who grow the crop on their small farms, amongst native and exotic fruit trees.

Peru

For much of Peru’s coffee history, its beans have mostly been enjoyed locally. Today the country is one of the highest certified coffee distributors in the world, with many growers that were once limited by poor infrastructure, now getting the chance to let their coffees shine on the international market. ofi’s agronomy team work with over 5,000 producers on improved cultivation and processing techniques to raise yields and quality.

Read ofi news

Press Release Oct 7, 2024
ofi shortlisted in trio of sustainability awards for pioneering social impact initiatives

On International Coffee Day, the World Coffee Innovation Awards prized ofi's efforts to address child labor risks in major coffee-growing origins with its ‘Coffee Kindergartens’ initiative winning the ‘Best Sustainability Initiative’ category.

 

The Kindergartens are set up by ofi’s local coffee teams each year, supported by its specialty coffee business Covoya, in areas identified as high-risk through community surveys, part of its Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System (CLMRS). They offer a safe space for children to play and learn during the school holidays while their parents harvest coffee on the farms.

 

The success of the first Coffee Kindergarten in Guatemala, run in partnership with NGO Funcafé in 2020, attracted support from donors and customers, allowing ofi to expand the initiative to set up a further 22 Kindergartens last year in Guatemala and two in Honduras and Nicaragua with local NGO Educo.

 

On the same day, the Reuters Sustainability Awards shortlisted ofi in the Business Transformation category for pioneering work in natural capital accounting. ofi was one of the first companies in the world to start reporting the impact of its sustainability efforts in dollars and cents through its Integrated Impact Statement (IIS) and today, is applying multi-capital accounting to delve into the year-on-year monetary impact of selected coffee and cocoa programs.

 

ofi was also shortlisted in the Social Impact category for its first social capital impact valuation which assessed the value of customized support delivered to approximately1,000 coffee farmers as part of a living income project in Honduras with partner ALDI SOUTH Group. Analysis for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 crop years revealed a Social Return on Investment (SROI) of eight dollars for every dollar invested.

 

Roel Van Poppel, Chief Sustainability Officer at ofi said: "These achievements reflect our ongoing efforts to double down on the topics that matter most to our customers and the communities where we operate, and where we can make the greatest impact.

 

“We are able to do this because of the expertise and relationships we’ve grown in the heart of farming communities. And we’re choosing to achieve a lot more under our ‘Choices for Change’ sustainability strategy with 2030 targets to raise 200,000 ofi farmer households to a living income and remediate 100% of identified human rights cases, which our plans for 50 new Coffee Kindergartens will contribute to. We are inviting our customers and other partners across the supply chains to join these projects so we can collectively drive positive change.”

 

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