In this episode, we speak with Carlos De Valdenebro, Vice President and Managing Director of North America of Caravela Coffee, on how the company is supporting farmers and the entire process of exporting and importing coffee from smallholder coffee producers. He gave a brief background of how the word Caravela derives from the caravan. We discussed how they bring the most excellent coffee from seven different South American nations to the United States. His network transports coffee to around 40 other countries throughout the world. He provided a brief overview of how coffee is sourced and how it differs from regular coffee. We also discussed the importance of transparency and traceability in the coffee supply chain and how Carvela strives to achieve it. He talked in precise detail about green coffee’s good friction process, dry parchment, and fermentation process. He discussed how they empower farmers by providing financial and educational support so that they can invest in their infrastructural operations. Carlos highlighted that Caravela Coffee is a B-Corp and that they are focusing on environmental sustainability. He discussed the supply chain difficulties they had during COVID and how they overcame them. We also discussed current consumer and younger generation tendencies in the desire to understand where their coffee comes from.

Caravela Coffee, based in London, United Kingdom, is a Latin American green coffee exporter and importer that responsibly obtains coffee from around 4,000 coffee growers in eight Latin American nations, the majority of whom are smallholder farmers. Almost 90% of the Caravela staff is headquartered in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru, where they provide training, technical support, and quality feedback to producers in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru. Caravela is devoted to bridging the gap between specialty coffee roasters and smallholder coffee growers, with import offices in Australia, Europe, North America, and Taiwan. They are focused on quality, transparency, and long-term sustainable connections.