The coffee cooperative
By Balthazar Sellier (Master students exchange programme, cohort of 2024-2025)
It is 9 a.m., and I am sitting in a panaderia enjoying my first coffee of the day after a cold 3-hour drive from Victoria. In front of me, the interactions are fast, and movements come one after another as the chivas arrive non-stop. In this street of Pensilvania, a large village of Caldas, Colombia, two agricultural cooperatives are receiving coffee bags from these colourful trucks. The rich, detailed drawings of the chivas captured my attention. On an often rusty wood, lines and geometric forms going from red to blue, passing by green, pink, or orange, make them unique. As soon as one is seen around the corner, the rhythm of the street gets activated in the twinkling of an eye. Peasants, arriving in groups, are coming out of the chiva, which is just parked on half of the street. The coteros – a person working in a coffee cooperative- unload the coffee bags, pilling up to 80, overflowing this truck. The mechanism is on. Poncho over the shoulder to soften the rustic character of the bags, the coteros are handing them in a rapid and agile manner. The coffee is stocked in the back shop of the cooperative, where they are exchanged for around 70.000-80.000 COP the bag. It will then be sent to Manizales, where it will be exported internationally. In the space of two hours, six chivas came in. All of them had already left, except for the last one of the morning, unloading its shipment for an hour. The other coteros are waiting and chatting in front of the cooperative. They explained to me that around a dozen people work there, receiving coffee deliveries throughout the day. At times, the chivas fill the entire street, stacking up and amplifying the lively rhythm of the scene. Initially, I felt hesitant to take photos of the streets and the people who give them such vibrancy. After all, this is not my culture, and the boundaries of context and personal privacy can sometimes feel unclear. However, every person I asked gave an enthusiastic yes, proud of their work and appreciative of the interest it sparked.
Coffee and cacao play a vital role in the peasantry tapestry of the region. In the more uphill places, like those in Pensilvania, coffee is the primary crop, while cacao thrives in warmer, downhill areas such as Victoria. As drinking coffee has never been easier and ubiquitous in many Western countries, this economy relies on the work of several actors at the “bottom of the chain”. From the peasant to the cotero, and the seller, the cultivation of cacao and coffee plants sustains families and villages all over Caldas. The vibrant chivas bustling through the streets, carrying goods and people, are a visible testament to this way of life. Yet, perhaps the most profound cultural legacy lies in the role coffee plays in bringing people together. Whether it’s a morning ritual, an afternoon pause, or an excuse for a late-night discussion, coffee has a unique way of assembling people, fostering connection, and enriching daily life.
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