The Coffee Business Vision behind Volcafe Way
Before there was Volcafe Way, there was Alvaro Llobet (Lloto del Café). In 2014 Volcafe (we) wanted to start a program to address coffee farm sustainability. We wanted to help at the farm level, but we didn’t have a clear blueprint. Llobet had three decades of experience working with farmers. Our initial dialog with him went something like this:
Volcafe: “We’re realizing that the services provided to farmers are not truly helping. Conditions and management on their farms are not improving. Their kids don’t want to grow coffee anymore. We need a service that can have a real impact! Let´s aim to increase Productivity!”
Llobet: “Profitability”
Volcafe: “Quality”
Llobet: “Profitability”
Llobet had a different paradigm in mind. Don’t work only towards Productivity, don’t work only towards Quality, but rather focus on Profitability. Help farmers become successful business owners and their farms would be sustainable. In our initial consultations with Llobet we formed the foundation and the inspiration for Volcafe Way. Today, Llobet works as an independent consultant for Volcafe Way and he helps train the field team.
September 2014, Turrialba, Costa Rica.
There, 15 agronomist and coffee sustainability and commercial experts from 7 Volcafe origin operations, is when we all agreed that most producers don´t know their actual cost of production. Without knowing your cost of production, you can´t make an economic balance of the activity, without that, you can´t make better business decisions for the long term. Producers are not profitable, not because of poor farming techniques but because they don´t know how to farm as a business and nobody is teaching that in a holistic way (financial, administrative, agronomic, social, environmental). If you don´t make a profit for several years, you´ll probably change your business and focus on other activities or crops. You can´t be sustainable if you´re not profitable. This is where Volcafe Way was born.
Lloto del Café at a Glance
Shy, serious, introverted on the outside, funny, authentic, loyal and true on the inside. These are some adjectives we use to describe Alvaro Llobet. You can always find him with his coffee mug, wearing impeccable clothing, with tens of bracelets, sunblock before going to the field and an occasional cigarette. Every day in the field with Alvaro is a holistic learning experience.
Llobet is an agronomist as by profession, but coffee is his passion. Alvaro began his coffee journey 30 years ago managing a coffee estate in Costa Rica. Risk is a concept he likes as he´s always re-inventing himself and his company. He obtained a master’s degree in finance, which opened his eyes to a new world of opportunities. Having a steady job managing the estate, he decided to quit and begin his own business, Lloto del Cafe as a coffee consultant, offering his services on farm management and crop research around the world.
The people who know him can tell you that Llobet is a fan of problem solving, efficiency and a mindset focused on total quality are part of his company values; “Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well” is his email signature and he lives by those words. He is constantly searching for better, easier and more efficient ways to do things. And, he’s demonstrated his value in a variety of different sectors (food, agriculture, motor engines, fashion).
Constantly innovating, and putting his brain to serve others, Llobet has even developed an app, Dr. Coffee, that helps producers, agronomists and technicians identify pests, diseases, bad management practices, nutritional deficiencies and how to correct them. As a constant user of the app I can tell you that it’s easy to use and extremely helpful!
Llobet’s dream? To improve the quality of life of all the coffee growers around the world. His product: Lloto´s Methodology, an integrated crop management course that aims to improve farm management and the quality of life of the coffee producing families. His partner; Volcafe through Volcafe Way, a holistic approach that aims to add value to the entire supply chain, while improving the profitability and quality of life of the coffee growers.
Llobet´s passion, knowledge, common sense and experience has helped Volcafe Way grow and together we have made our dreams a reality. Always advocating to provide the most responsible business recommendation, to be humble with the knowledge acquired and to never lose the passion that drives us, he has truly helped us improve. On behalf of our Volcafe Way team and personally, THANK YOU Mr. llotodelcafe!
