Generales

By Julián David Ospina Sánchez, Journalist at UdeA Communications Office 

In 2019, researchers from the Universidad de Antioquia set out to elevate the role of coffee growers, redefine the focus from productivity to competitiveness, and promote sustainable peace. Their project, celebrated at the Ministry of National Education’s Night of Excellence 2024, became a groundbreaking initiative in socially appropriating knowledge. Today, with support from the General Royalties System, it has improved the lives of more than 260 people across 13 villages in Ituango. 

In Ituango, 84 of its 117 villages depend on coffee production for their economy. Photo: Courtesy of Cecilia Gallardo Cabrera.  

With open doors, warm smiles, and a glass of red wine, Ituango’s coffee growers welcomed researchers from the Universidad de Antioquia in November 2021. Their mission was to share knowledge, celebrate the farmers’ work, strengthen coffee competitiveness, and foster peace in a region shaped by Colombia’s armed conflict. 

To this end, UdeA’s interdisciplinary team developed the project “Enhancing the Competitiveness of Ituango’s Coffee Growers through Strengthening Capacities in Science, Technology, and Innovation (CTEI).” The project aims to create a collaborative knowledge exchange with local coffee producers and has benefited 260 individuals from 13 villages in northern Antioquia. 

As a trailblazer in the social appropriation of knowledge and its transformative impact on rural communities, this initiative received initial funding from the General System of Royalties, specifically from the Science, Technology, and Innovation Fund. It also gained invaluable support through collaboration with the Association of Coffee Growers of Northern Antioquia (Aprocant). 

“We chose Ituango as our focus, and after discovering its impressive coffee production, we made competitiveness the core of our project. Our objectives were to recognize the farmers’ research skills, establish the Coffee Grower’s Laboratory, conduct chemical analyses and connect them to both the technical and symbolic quality of the coffee, develop e-commerce platforms, and strengthen the community’s abilities in coexistence and solidarity,” explained Cecilia Gallardo Cabrera, principal investigator and coordinator of the Grupo Estabilidad de Medicamentos, Cosméticos y Alimentos research group at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences at UdeA. 

As the team progressively achieved these goals, the Ministry of National Education (MEN) awarded the project first place in the Call for Recognition of Outstanding Experiences in External Sector Collaboration and Social Appropriation of Knowledge. The recognition occurred during the Night of Educational Excellence 2024 on December 4 at the Central Plaza of the National University of Colombia. 

The MEN evaluation underscores the collaboration between UdeA and Ituango’s coffee growers, highlighting how specialized knowledge in commercialization processes can create better job opportunities. It also showcases the impact of technical training and social events that have helped establish a sustainable community economy model. 

“It is a dialogue of knowledge with the master coffee growers, as we decided to call them, who helped shape the methodology and communicated their needs,” said Marcela Martínez Castaño, co-researcher of the project. She praised the openness of the people of Ituango in sharing the valuable coffee knowledge they have accumulated over decades. 

A key starting point was helping the farmers discover the unique taste of their coffee. By adopting new practices and technologies, they could enjoy their coffee and present it to a broader market. “I’m learning to operate the roasting machines, and it’s fantastic... I’m also learning to taste the coffee, identify its flavors, and realize that the coffee we grow is better than what we buy from outside,” said Juan Bautista Flores, a coffee grower involved in the project. 

The project seeks to combine farmers’ ancestral knowledge with modern technological tools through rural laboratories, discussions, and participatory workshops. Photo: Courtesy of Cecilia Gallardo Cabrera.  

Laboratory and brand 

After three years of project implementation, the initiative has yielded both symbolic and tangible results. These include the preservation of the farmers’ “profound wisdom,” bridging the gap between coffee growers and roasters, establishing the Coffee Grower’s Laboratory, and launching the Itucafé brand. 

In this preservation of “deep wisdom,” gifts like the words of Elkin Espinal emerge: “My father taught me that whoever sows coffee sows’ life. In times of crisis, this bean tells the producer: ‘Help me with organic matter... don’t throw away the pulp...’ The coffee itself becomes the essential tool of knowledge.” 

Efforts aim to bridge the gap between coffee growers and roasters by involving farmers in every step of the production chain. “Learning how to use the threshing machine, the coffee sorter, and the roaster is crucial for me... I’m grateful to the Universidad de Antioquia for providing us with this machinery and knowledge,” said Yair Pozo, a local producer. 

“As my child grows, I encourage him to be hands-on with the coffee, to learn how to manage it, and to gain as much knowledge as possible,” said Raúl Zapata Chancí, a coffee grower from Ituango. 

This approach seeks to address the longstanding coffee paradox. For years, large roasters, rather than the farmers who plant, harvest, and dry the coffee, have reaped the most benefits from the final product’s sale. 

The Coffee Grower’s Laboratory establishment in Ituango’s municipal capital has been pivotal in this effort. It connects farmers with the latest advancements in the industry. 

“We’re now focusing on business models through digital platforms, showcasing the technical and symbolic quality of Ituango coffee to ensure these sales bring benefits to the Northern Antioquia community,” explained Alexandra Quirama, a young researcher and pedagogy student at the UdeA Faculty of Education. She emphasized that this process must align with the farmers’ perspectives on life in the region. 

These business models aim to promote the Itucafé brand, co-created with the project beneficiaries. The brand includes added features like a QR code on the back of the packaging, enabling consumers to discover the story of the coffee grower, the type of coffee they’re drinking, and the village it originates from. 

The municipality of Ituango faced decades of armed conflict, extreme poverty, and fluctuating coffee prices. Photo: Courtesy of Cecilia Gallardo Cabrera. 

A future planned by all 

“Come to the laboratory. It’s truly exciting. Don’t settle for what you have; push forward, learn new things, share with other growers, and collaborate so that they stop bringing in coffee from outside and choose our authentic coffee,” encouraged coffee grower Olga Zabala. 

Olga’s words signal the start of another year of project development, where organizing the community around its business models will play a key role in addressing the new social and economic challenges facing farmers and the coffee sector. 

“Empowering coffee growers by strengthening their knowledge and enhancing technical practices should lead to a local economy improvement. We will be there to support this growth,” said Deisy Johana Gómez Quintero, an Ituango native and member of the UdeA research team, working as a social communicator and journalist. 

Collective learning will remain centered on enhancing the symbolic value of Ituango coffee, drawing from the way of life of a community committed to fostering sustainable peace. “We are committed to ensuring that the beneficiaries are the coffee growers, who see coffee as key to their future and faith—those who have historically lacked a place in the value chain of the bean,” stressed Gallardo Cabrera. 

“I want to keep learning about coffee management. My goal is to learn for myself and then share that knowledge with others who are not yet familiar with it,” concluded Gilberto de Jesús Londoño Jiménez, a coffee grower from Ituango. 

Project details 

The project has secured over 2,900 million pesos from the General Royalties System, with an additional contribution of approximately 1,000 million from the UdeA.  

The core team includes Deisy Gómez, Luis Pérez, Diana Tabares, Claudia Posso, Edilson Zapata, Liliana Betancur, Juan Camilo Lopera, Marcela Martínez, and Cecilia Gallardo. Young researchers Alexandra Quirama, Juliana Rojas, Camilo Zambrano, Carolina Restrepo, Andrés Tobón, and Kevin Oquendo are involved. The University Research Headquarters (SIU), led by Claudia Marcela Vélez, Vice Rector of Research at UdeA, also plays a key role in the project.