REGENERATIVE COFFEE FARMING IN COLOMBIA
A collaborative pilot connecting wastewater treatment, coffee pulp reuse
and soil management in the Serranía del Perijá.
Sourcing, cupping, importing, promoting and exporting specialty coffee is our day-to-day work. Long-term relationships, a shared commitment to quality and close connections between producers and markets are at the heart of how we work.
With this pilot, CUPRIMA Coffee is taking a new step beyond our day-to-day sourcing activities. For the first time, we are dedicating funding, time and expertise directly to a collaborative project at origin, building on the connections established through our coffee sourcing activities.
The project responds to a need identified together with InConexus, Coutume Café and the producers of the InConexus Bajo Ceiba group. These producers already compost coffee pulp, while some have also introduced water-saving measures. However, infrastructure and technical capacity vary between farms, limiting the consistent management of wastewater from coffee processing and organic residues.
That is why we joined forces with the producers and the EFICO Foundation to develop a pilot linking wastewater treatment, coffee pulp reuse and soil management. Coutume Café is the project’s main financial contributor, building on its long-standing sourcing relationships and supporting a shared investment at origin.
WHY WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT MATTERS
Water connects coffee farms with the communities and ecosystems around them. What happens during processing can therefore have consequences beyond the farm boundary.
Washed coffee processing generates wastewater containing sugars, mucilage and other organic matter from the coffee cherry. Coffee pulp also releases liquids as it decomposes. If these reach streams without adequate treatment, their decomposition can consume oxygen in the water, affecting water quality and aquatic life.
Saving water and treating wastewater are complementary tasks. Using less water during processing is valuable, but the remaining wastewater and liquids draining from coffee pulp still need to be managed.
In Bajo Ceiba, existing composting areas have become too small for current production volumes, while wastewater treatment capacity varies between farms. Downstream communities in the Manaure River watershed have also expressed concerns about water quality coming from the upper coffee-growing areas.
The project takes a preventive approach: supporting producers in strengthening their existing practices while helping protect shared water resources. It also recognises the value of coffee pulp as a source of nutrients that can be returned to the soil.
THREE FARMS, BUILDING ON EXISTING PRACTICES
The pilot takes place in Manaure Balcón del Cesar, in Colombia's Serranía del Perijá, a mountainous area where coffee farming, forests and water resources are closely connected.
It involves three organic coffee farms covering approximately 17.8 hectares within the InConexus Bajo Ceiba producer group. Two are managed by women participating in InConexus' Women's Power Program, an initiative supporting women coffee growers through greater access to knowledge, resources and opportunities.
The producers already grow coffee alongside shade trees and other crops, compost coffee pulp and some have introduced water-saving measures during processing. The project builds on this experience with additional infrastructure, practical training and ongoing technical support.
The farms were selected for their suitability for installation, proximity and potential to share knowledge with neighbouring producers. Starting at this scale allows the partners to understand how the systems fit into everyday farm operations before considering wider adoption.
CONNECTING WASTEWATER, COFFEE-BY PRODUCTS & SOIL
The pilot brings together three complementary activities: treating processing wastewater, recovering nutrients from coffee by-products, and empowering producers to manage these systems independently.
Treating wastewater from coffee processing
Seven Green Filter modules are planned across the three farms to retain and treat processing wastewater and liquids draining from organic residues. The aim is to reduce the risk of contamination of local water sources.
Turning coffee pulp into farm inputs
Two Biofactory units will provide facilities for converting coffee pulp and other organic residues into compost and other inputs for soil fertility and crop management. Reusing these materials on the farms can help reduce dependence on purchased inputs.
Supporting producers through practical training
Producers, family members and farm workers will receive training in compost preparation and application, soil fertility management and the use of farm-produced inputs. They will also learn to operate, monitor and maintain the Green Filter and Biofactory systems, supported by InConexus’ technical team.
Together, these activities connect the responsible management of processing residues with the resources needed to support future crops.
LONG-STANDING PARTNERSHIPS, SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
The initiative grows out of years of collaboration between producers, InConexus, CUPRIMA Coffee and Coutume Café. Each partner contributes time and expertise, with clear responsibilities.
Coutume Café is the project's main financial contributor. Its relationship with InConexus dates back to 2018 and includes repeated coffee purchases and technical exchanges. This investment builds on that engagement and supports practical improvements within the producer community.
InConexus, our Colombian specialty coffee partner, coordinates implementation at origin, works directly with producers and contributes substantial technical and operational resources, including technical assistance, monitoring and reporting.
The Bajo Ceiba producers contribute their knowledge, labour and farm facilities. They will operate and maintain the systems, helping ensure that the infrastructure becomes a lasting part of their farm management.
At CUPRIMA Coffee, we contribute to project development, partner coordination and financing. We also introduced the opportunity to develop the initiative within the EFICO Foundation's framework.
The EFICO Foundation manages the project funds and contributes grant support and expertise, alongside a framework for project assessment, monitoring and reporting.
THE PREPARATION BEHIND THE PROJECT
Before work could begin on the farms, the partners needed to establish how the project would deliver practical, lasting value.
For CUPRIMA, this meant helping turn a shared ambition into a proposal grounded in local needs, with an appropriate technical approach, a detailed budget and clear responsibilities. Together, the partners examined why these farms were suitable, how the infrastructure would fit their operations, who would operate and maintain it, what ongoing maintenance would require and how technical support would continue beyond the pilot. They also defined what could realistically be achieved and measured within the project period.
The EFICO Foundation’s assessment process brought additional expertise and constructive challenge to this preparation. Through dialogue, the partners refined the approach, considered implementation risks and clarified how progress would be monitored -and how the systems would remain useful after the project period.
This preparation is an essential part of our commitment. It gives the partners a common basis for putting resources to work, assessing results and making informed decisions about any future expansion.
EXPECTED BENEFITS FOR PRODUCERS & THE WIDER COMMUNITY
For the participating families, the project aims to deliver more consistent wastewater management, greater reuse of coffee by-products and stronger practical knowledge. Producing more inputs on the farms could also help reduce expenditure on purchased fertilisers and support soil fertility over time, while encouraging wider adoption of regenerative soil management practices.
For the wider community, improved treatment aims to reduce the risk of contamination of shared water resources, helping protect local streams, surrounding ecosystems and downstream communities. The participating farms will also serve as demonstration sites where neighbouring producers can see the systems in operation and exchange experiences.
By documenting performance, maintenance needs, costs and producer feedback, the pilot will help assess whether and how the approach could be extended across the wider Bajo Ceiba network of 18 associated farms, and potentially adapted for other coffee-growing communities.
MEASURING RESULTS, ASSESSING POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION
The project is scheduled to run from November 2026 to June 2027. Installation will take place through the first quarter of 2027, alongside ongoing training and monitoring, with a final evaluation planned for June 2027.
Baseline assessments will document each farm’s starting conditions. Follow-up will track how the systems perform, how wastewater and coffee by-products are managed, and whether producers can operate and maintain the infrastructure independently.
The evaluation will focus on practical performance and early results. Longer-term effects on soil health, production costs and farm performance will require continued observation beyond the pilot.
The installed systems will remain with the participating producers, with InConexus continuing technical support through its regular field activities.
FOLLOW THE PROJECT, CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
How do these systems fit into a working coffee farm? What do producers find most useful? What needs adjusting before other farms could adopt the approach?
We’ll share experiences from the farms, progress and findings through our newsletters and social media as the pilot develops.
Interested in learning more or exchanging experiences about collaboration at origin? We’d be happy to continue the conversation.