Colombian Coffee's 1,500-Strong Extension Service Empowers a New Spokesperson

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA--(Marketwired - Jul 29, 2013) - The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC, by its Spanish acronym) named Daniel Chica as the new Professor Yarumo®, a charismatic agronomist and public figure that advises coffee growers on social, environmental and farm agronomic performance through mass media outlets. The Professor Yarumo character is part of a team of 1,500 technical advisors (Extension service) who assist Colombian coffee growers in their farms to help them increase yields and uphold quality standards.

"I look forward to continue helping Colombian growers not only to produce the best coffee in the world, but also to make their lives better. Professor Yarumo reflects to the public what we as FNC Extension Service represent: passion for our work and commitment towards the growers' sustainability."

Daniel, a 35 year old agronomical engineer who has worked at FNC for 10 years, was selected amongst the Extension service's more than 1500 members in a careful process that included the growers' participation. He will be replacing Carlos Uribe, the Federation's previous legendary Professor Yarumo. Uribe, who played Yarumo (named after a tree often found in Colombian coffee growing regions) for the previous 17 years, has been promoted to FNC´s Chief Technical Officer.

The "Professor Yarumo" character is symbolized by a popular agronomist who communicates with growers through a daily TV show, newspaper columns and radio programs. He is one of the most important characters in the Colombian coffee industry and is even more popular in Colombia´s rural areas than the other famous FNC character, Juan Valdez®. His duty is to serve as a spokesman for FNC´s domestic efforts to reach more than 500 thousand Colombian coffee farmers through an internationally recognized extension service that covers 588 municipalities in Colombia.

The FNC's Extension Service advises Colombia´s coffee growers on yields, sustainability and quality methods. It is credited to be one of the most efficient advisory services of its kind in the rural world. Recently, the FNC's Extension Service was given the highest marks by researchers Miguel Gómez and Katie Ricketts, from Cornell University, and Benjamin Mueller from the University of Illinois, who form part of the Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS). This entity looks for the modernization of extension services and rural counseling in the world, and as part of a study in which they visited several countries; they were impressed by the coffee growing extension services in Colombia.

The experts said that the commitment and level of adaptability that extension agents show with the farmers in Colombia allowed them to have a better relationship with producers, and that this inspired trust in the coffee farmers. The study concluded that Colombia had one of the best extension services they have evaluated and that the FNC efforts to engage growers to help them increase yields and adapt to climate change should be mirrored by other countries in other products, not just for coffee.

About the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC)

The FNC is a non-profit organization founded in 1927 that represents over 500,000 coffee growing families. Considered one of the largest rural organizations in the world, its mission is to improve the well being and the quality of life of Colombian coffee growers. Under its Sustainability that Matters® programs, the FNC has developed an integral sustainability policy focused on coffee growers that includes productive, social and environmental initiatives. It also develops scientific research, technology transfer and social and industrial processes, supporting Colombian coffee production and commercialization. For more information, please visit:
www.federaciondecafeteros.org -- www.cafedecolombia.com