A big part of what we do at Nordic Approach is identify coffees and producers with potential that might otherwise never reach the specialty market due to limited resources or market access. This is exactly what our Green Buyer in Colombia, Juan Suarez, set out to do with Impetu: a small-volume communal coffee produced by young farmers and launching on our offerlist for the first time this year. Rather than simply selecting a finished coffee to bring to market, Juan wanted to create a product that would give young producers a direct connection to the specialty coffee supply chain.
“A lot of people in Colombia process coffee just to sell it to the cooperative. They’re not necessarily thinking about scores or whether the coffee tastes good. This is a way for us to break that cycle and show them: you can actually process good coffee,” Juan highlights. The name Impetu comes from the Spanish word impetuoso, referring to a driving force or willpower. It reflects the curiosity and determination of the young producers behind the project.
How it started
The idea began at the Specialty Coffee Fair in central Huila, Colombia, together with our partners at Coocentral. The annual fair supports young coffee producers and children of coffee farmers through education, practical experience and exposure to different parts of the specialty coffee industry. Participants learn about cupping, barista skills, roasting, processing and agricultural practices. Nordic Approach has supported the program since its beginning through the coffees we purchase from Coocentral. Every coffee purchased contributes to the financing of the educational program, while Juan has also been closely involved in its educational and practical development.
The participants come from coffee-producing families or are young producers themselves. Many have grown up around coffee but have had limited exposure to specialty production, sensory evaluation and how processing decisions can influence quality. As Juan describes it:
“We teach the sons and daughters of farmers what happens to their coffee after they sell it to the cooperative. We teach them barista skills, roasting and, over the last two years, post-harvest processing.
But we realized there was a missing link. We were giving them the knowledge and inspiration, but how could we actually get them involved in the supply chain? How could we tell them: we can buy something from you?”
From learning to participation
Over the past two years, post-harvest processing has become an important part of the Specialty Coffee Fair. Participants experiment with different processing methods and learn how their decisions can influence coffee quality. Impetu takes this one step further.
Each student was given the opportunity to process a bag of washed coffee as their own experiment. The coffees were then evaluated through blind cupping sessions alongside the students, giving them a practical introduction to how specialty coffees are assessed and selected. If a coffee meets the quality requirements, it becomes part of the Impetu Blend. If it doesn't, Coocentral still purchases the coffee. This means participants can experiment and learn without taking on the financial risk themselves. This year, around 60 experimental bags were submitted, with only 12–14 ultimately selected for the blend. The result is a limited-volume coffee made up of the most successful experiments from the program.
Building a longer-term pathway
The value of a project like Impetu goes beyond the coffee itself. The aim is to give young producers skills and experience that they can continue to build on over time. Today's participants may become tomorrow's suppliers of larger lots, premium blends or microlots. Just as importantly, they gain a better understanding of what happens to their coffee after it leaves the farm and what buyers are looking for when evaluating quality.
There are already examples of this pathway within Coocentral. Paola Medina joined the Specialty Coffee Fair when she was considering leaving her rural community for Bogotá. She is the daughter of Maria Damaris Medina, whose microlots we buy. Through the program, Paola discovered a talent for coffee cupping and sensory evaluation. Today, she works as one of Coocentral's key cup tasters, contributing to sourcing decisions, including for coffees from her family's farm.
Another participant, Enid, joined the program as an environmental engineer struggling to find opportunities in her field. After taking part in the program, her skills were recognized by Coocentral. She now leads the cooperative's Extensionist Program, which has also expanded its work with the local government in Huila. These stories show how investment in education can create opportunities that extend well beyond a single coffee project.
The role of buying in specialty coffee
Every coffee purchased from Coocentral contributes to the financial foundation that allows the cooperative to continue investing in programs like this.
For roasters, buying these coffees is therefore about more than the cup profile. It supports a system where young producers can learn, experiment and gradually build the skills and confidence needed to participate more actively in specialty coffee.
Impetu is a small coffee, but the idea behind it is much bigger: creating opportunities today that can strengthen the coffee supply chain for years to come.
For Juan, this is also what makes the project personal.
“In the end, you give people the opportunity and the little push, but they are the ones who achieve it. They do the work and get to the point where they deserve to be. Sometimes people just need someone to give them that opportunity, because otherwise they may never get there.”
“This is one of the things I love most about my job. I actually feel useful, and I feel like somehow I’m giving something back to my country."
It’s about purpose. Our supply chain isn’t only about finding good coffees and scoring coffee. It’s also about these small stories that you don’t always see. I see them. And that’s why I love what I do.”
