Reaching the coffee summit under one's own steam

Mildred Niebles is a renowned coffee expert and producer . A success she achieved entirely without outside help – despite her humble origins and the difficult political situation in Colombia.

Her unwavering honesty and focus on sustainability helped her achieve this.
and the two brightest stars in their sky.

How did we first meet Mildred?

In 2018, we undertook my fiancée and I a one-year World trip . During our tour around the globe, we also stopped in Colombia . There we had the opportunity to support a coffee cooperative pro bono. The members' coffee fields are located in the mountains of northern Colombia. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta – and that's exactly where we first met Mildred Niebles .

At first, we knew little about her. She was simply introduced to us as the Quality manager of the non-profit cooperative We were introduced to their farm. As luck would have it, we were allowed to stay as guests for over a month. The property is located about a 4-hour drive from the nearest larger town. High in the mountains . We often spent the evenings in long, deep conversations. And over time, a friendship developed. close and intimate friendship .

→ Will and passion as driving force

Mildred's story unfolded slowly before our eyes. Already as a young woman She supported her family in coffee production . As a sixteen-year-old, she was able to experience firsthand at one of the collection points for raw coffee of the Red Ecolsierra cooperative how strenuous coffee production can be.

Shortly afterwards, the Colombian Civil War ever wider around her. But Mildred had the courage to keep her family farm. to defend herself against the "narcos" until she was driven out by force and gunfire.

Out of love and passion for coffee, however, she never lost sight of her goal:
She wanted to become a coffee expert .

After experiencing domestic violence in her marriage, she separated from her husband. The now single mother One of three children, she switched from the kitchen to the lecture hall and began her studies. Later, she managed to use her savings to afford a university degree. to buy back her family's old farm . Since then, she has been producing crops there on nine hectares. First-class coffee , both washed and using the so-called “honey-processed” method.

A literally "excellent" woman

Her fascination with coffee and the magnificent nature of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta motivated Mildred to... highest qualification in the world of specialty coffee to reach: The Q-Grader . This award is given only to coffee specialists who can sensorially assess coffee quality at the highest professional level. In 2019, it achieved this. Mildred even, to present oneself as Q Processing Professional to be certified – as the first member of the cooperative consisting of 400 families.

Today she is responsible for the Improving the coffee production processes of the entire organization . It also supports individual members in tasks such as innovation and process optimization.

Your family as a stronghold

We once asked Mildred why she believed that when Coffee expert so successful to be. She replied that for her:
→ always first and foremost the Coffee quality stood as well as the Maintenance and regeneration the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.

As we finally spent our last evening on Mildred's farm, she revealed to us what had helped her on this difficult journey. Always look ahead and never give up.

" My family is my safe haven . Without them, I wouldn't be able to fight for the restoration of our unique natural environment, nor would I be able to pursue my love of coffee. I have a family consisting of my three children and two grandchildren. With my last savings I managed to make her a good education received.

My daughter Karina is an environmental engineer, Karen is an industrial engineer, and Oswaldo is a tattoo artist. My sweet grandchildren – the brightest stars in my sky – are named Juan Diego and Taylor Andrés.

Mildred Niebles, coffee producer from the Sierra Nevada in Colombia

Our Friendship with Mildred is stronger today than ever. We are impatiently awaiting the end of the Corona pandemic so that we can visit Colombia, the ▽ Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and finally be able to visit their finca “ Campo Alegre ” (The Joyful Field) again.

In the meantime, all we can do is admire their beautiful Mildred's Specialty Coffee to enjoy.

Why not try it yourself ?

Greetings from Berlin,
Gergi