Green Beans certified origin - Venezuela

[Bert1618]

Hi Guys

First of all thanks for this great website and your monthly updates. I really like it.

I just noticed in your latest email that you're offering green beans from Venezuela (San Cristobal). Now, I have Venezuelan roots in my family so I'm well acquainted with the current situation there. I've been witness of how the government has slowly destroyed country's coffee industry and now everything gets imported from countries likes Nicaragua or Colombia. What it used to be an enviable industry with great blends, beans to produce a high quality espresso has been reduced practically to nothing.

So my question is: how do you certify the origin of the products you offer in the website shop

Please don't get me wrong, I don't doubt your trade practices and ethics are of the highest kind and up to the best standards , but I also know it is very easy and common in Latin-america to smuggle goods (San Cristobal is at no more than 1 hr driving distance from the Colombian border and it's an area for common smuggling and counterfeits trafficking across in both directions with little to no control) and present them as an exclusive product when they're not (again, not you, but the person or company back there that offers this San Cristobal coffee for export and sale in Australia). I'm also sure you're aware of the risk of this kind of practices in other regions of the world like Asia or Africa.

Thanks in advance and keep up the great work.

With my best regards

Bert

[Andy]

(I'm on the roaster so brief and maybe disjointed reply)

You are right Bert, with any overseas trading there is a lot of trust and faith in others all the up and down the chain that just cannot be avoided and the longer we do this (10+ years now) the better I get at backing away from anything suss and having a group of people on the ground that make my job far easier.

As for these, as soon as you see them, taste them you know they are not like any Colombian bean you have ever had. I also have great trust in our "Centrals" guy who hooked us up with this region last time too.

Besides, I don't think these are anywhere near expensive enough to be counterfeit. There was a huge scandal 20 odd years ago in the USA where Hawaii Kona and JBM were found to be South American beans.... but at $50/kg and $100/kg you can see why it would appeal to the dodgy people. Those beans are now certified at export to protect their name.