Farm to port: why specialty costs more

from Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries · host James Harper

Every time we open a bag of beautiful specialty coffee — like Erick Bravo’s from Finca El Chaferote in Huila, Colombia — we’re drinking something that’s been on a long journey. And I mean long! Over 1500 kilometers north up and down the Andes mountain range, a distance more than twice the height of France. Along the way, it passes through dozens of hands, machines, and decisions. We follow it through muddy mountain sides, dusty dry mills, and hurricane-battered coastal warehouses — places where all kinds of things can go wrong. A leaky roof. An overly aggressive polishing machine. Or even theft. But here’s the mystery: getting Erick’s coffee to port costs 50% more than sending a commodity coffee through the same route. Why? That question led me deep into Colombia’s coffee supply chains — and what I found changed how I think about the real cost of treating coffee with care. Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story Write a review on Apple Podcasts Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter Find your next favourite Colombian coffee from The Coffee Quest Taste coffees from Erick Bravo’s award winning farm, Finca El Chaferote, and follow him on Instagram. Season 3 of The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organizations: The Coffee Quest | BWT | TODDY | Algrano | Probat Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here. Support hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers with Fairtrade. Discover how here. See the Mikafi countertop roaster at the Thermoplan stand (6637) at World Of Coffee Brussels. Not attending? See it here. What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here. "Seize the Moment", the tabletop device from DiFluid that guides your customers through their coffee as it cools. Use code FILTER and this link to get 10% off.

What this episode covers

Every time we open a bag of beautiful specialty coffee — like Erick Bravo’s from Finca El Chaferote in Huila, Colombia — we’re drinking something that’s been on a long journey. And I mean long! Over 1500 kilometers north up and down the Andes mountain range, a distance more than twice the height of France. Along the way, it passes through dozens of hands, machines, and decisions. We follow it through muddy mountain sides, dusty dry mills, and hurricane-battered coastal warehouses — places where all kinds of things can go wrong. A leaky roof. An overly aggressive polishing machine. Or even theft. But here’s the mystery: getting Erick’s coffee to port costs 50% more than sending a commodity coffee through the same route. Why? That question led me deep into Colombia’s coffee supply chains — and what I found changed how I think about the real cost of treating coffee with care. Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee!Leave a 5 star rating on SpotifyFollow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram storyWrite a review on Apple Podcasts Discover how I make these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to my Substack newsletter Find your next favourite Colombian coffee from The Coffee Quest Taste coffees from Erick Bravo’s award winning farm, Finca El Chaferote, and follow him on Instagram. Season 3 of The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organizations: The Coffee Quest | BWT | TODDY | Algrano | Probat Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here.Support hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers with Fairtrade. Discover how here. See the Mikafi countertop roaster at the Thermoplan stand (6637) at World Of Coffee Brussels. Not attending? See it here.What does the Marco MilkPal look like to you? WALL-E? Something Steve Jobs would be proud of? Check it out here."Seize the Moment", the tabletop device from DiFluid that guides your customers through their coffee as it cools. Use code FILTER and this link to get 10% off.

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This episode is 54 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 23, 2025.

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