In Colombia the vast majority of coffee is cultivated, harvested and processed on small family owned farms. While these producers are their own architects, designing farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their needs, they also need strong alliances to bring their coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. To support this system of small farm production, Colombia established the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC) to organize and support a complex network of larger regional coffee cooperatives. These cooperatives provide producers with valuable logistical support like centralized warehouses to store dried parchment and dry mills where the coffee is prepared for export. The Supremo grade, the highest rating of any Colombian bean, is the largest beans with a 17/18 designation for beans that will not pass through a screen opening below 17/64 of an inch. Supremo lots are often traceable to regions of Colombia, each with distinct harvest times, which provides for a constant supply of fresh Colombian Supremo throughout the calendar year.
