EP1633 Part 3 of 5 | Why Coffee Businesses Can't Ignore Politics (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward
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Episode Description
This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar.
Our guest is Ana Maria Donneys, a fifth-generation Colombian coffee producer, founder of Café Primitivo in Quindío, Colombia, and President and Co-Founder of IWCA Colombia.
Throughout this series, Lee and Ana explore how Colombian coffee farmers are navigating one of the most volatile periods the coffee industry has experienced in decades, discussing climate, pricing, financing, politics, and what coffee businesses should be preparing for over the next 6–18 months.
In this episode, the conversation turns to politics—not from an ideological perspective, but from the practical reality of running a coffee business.
Ana explains how Colombia's changing political landscape is influencing security, business confidence, labour costs, logistics, fuel prices, exchange rates, and ultimately the viability of coffee production. She also shares her perspective on the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), explaining why it remains one of the most important institutions supporting producers through research, extension services, guaranteed coffee purchasing, and infrastructure investment.
Lee and Ana also explore how international events, including conflict in the Middle East, continue to affect producers through higher freight costs, rising fuel prices, and increasing input costs. The conversation highlights an important reality: coffee businesses don't operate separately from politics. Every decision made by governments, both locally and globally, eventually finds its way back to the farm.
Whether you're producing coffee, roasting it, importing it, or serving it in a café, this episode offers valuable context for understanding the broader forces shaping today's coffee economy.
Connect with Ana and Café Primitivo here:
https://www.instagram.com/cafeprimitivo/
https://www.instagram.com/anadonneys/