Sunday, November 18, 2018

In Colombia, kids learn barista skills with the goal of saving the country's coffee culture


In Marsella, the heart of Colombia's coffee country, Julián Murillo, an eight year old boy describes the process as he cautiously makes a Chemex-method brew. As of now, Julián is learning these coffee skills for fun, but there is a larger goal in mind. That is the goal for low coffee prices, climate change, and a rapidly-aging coffee work force; thus, it's more important than ever to get kids excited and invested in keeping the coffee industry alive and successful. If kids like Julián don't stay on the land, Colombia's smooth Arabica coffee, served by cafe chains around the globe could disappear. Nonetheless, if coffee programs for kids succeed, the next generation could truly conserve Colombia's centuries-old culture, while providing better local jobs and better-tasting coffee for consumers.

By Isabel G. Torres

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