When I signed my contract, I never thought we would be staying this long, but today it is exactly 8 years to the day since I started my assignment in Pu’er. After all these years, I still really like my job, the committed team and the coffee farmers I get to work with and of course the coffee they produce. Throughout the years it was great to see the impact we had in the villages and coffee communities, as well as finding our program really is making a difference. During these eight years a lot of things have changed. Not only did the city change its name from Simao to Pu’er, and did it modernize quite bit, albeit keeping its green character, it also evolved to the Coffee Capital of China. The coffee villages and farmers flourished, almost tripling the area under production as well as the yield. Recently, on a visit to our offices, the Vice-mayor in charge of coffee mentioned that the farmers trust our operations and appreciate our services, which of course was great to hear. It made me realize once more that all the travelling and all the visits throughout the whole area the past years have resulted in a strong linkage with the farmers, which in turn brings the responsibility to not only keep, but also strengthen this relation. Through my work with the farmers and visits to their farms, I really feel part of the community. And it has been a joy seeing both the number of coffee growers linked to us and the volume we purchased have increased so significantly over the years. And last but not least, also privately we will always be linked to Pu’er. Eight years ago we arrived as a newly-wed couple, now we are a family of four, with my eldest even managing a few words in the local dialect. All of us love this little city (to local standards at least) close to the country side with its diverse and friendly people.
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AuthorI wouldn't be surprised to find out I was born with a passion for coffee. For the life of me, I can't remember not loving coffee. And by that, I don't just mean drinking it, but everything involved from its cultivation over the processing to the final product that is my loyal companion throughout the day. Archives
February 2014
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