A Fiesta of Bees: The Important Role of Bees in Coffee Production
For many of us, our day doesn’t truly begin until we’ve had our first sip of coffee. But have you ever considered the crucial role that bees play in making this morning ritual possible?
These tiny pollinators play a vital role in coffee production, and their hard work directly impacts the quality and abundance of your favourite beans. Coffee plants rely on pollination to produce the cherries whose beans we grind and brew. Bees, with their tireless buzzing, transfer pollen between coffee flowers, enabling the plants to set fruit. Not only does this boost yields, but it enhances the quality of the cherries, resulting in better-tasting beans.
Beevive's energy drink for bees
We've teamed up with our friends at Beevive to raise awareness of the work of bees in coffee. Beevive was co-founded by bee enthusiasts Jacob Powell and Faye Whitley in 2018, inspired by a spontaneous encounter with a tired bee while they were on holiday in Cornwall. This moment led to the creation of the Original Bee Revival Kit to enable everyone to revive an exhausted bee when there are no nectar-rich, bee-friendly flowers around.
Co-founder Faye shares their journey: “Fuelled by this encounter, we started learning about and falling in love with bees, followed sadly by the realisation of the hardships they are facing. In the UK alone, we have lost 97% of wildflower meadows since the 1930s, and flying insect populations have declined by almost 60%. We wanted to do something to help and encourage others to do the same! This is when we began designing our flagship product, The Bee Revival Kit, a keyring containing a small bottle of bee food syrup, ready for the next time you see a bee in need."
Beevive’s mission is to raise awareness of the importance of bees in a fun, adventurous, and interactive way. They produce a range of bee-friendly products aimed at boosting bee populations and connecting people with nature. All products are proudly designed, hand-assembled, and packed in their buzzing studio in Devon.
The Impact of Bees for Coffee Producers
Esnayder Cuartas of Colombian producer Finca Las Cruces, whose grandfather first installed an apiary on their 10 hectare farm near Quinchía says, “My grandfather Gerardo was very keen to plant a variety of trees on his farm, alongside the primary crops of coffee and cacao - a trend that has been inherited by subsequent generations. As kids we enjoyed staying at our paternal grandparents’ farm, as they lived a fully agricultural life. We tried many fruits and enjoyed our adventures on the fields, but without doubt the most enjoyable part of it was his beehives, which were located a distance from the house.
Both our father and grandfather told us about the bees' behaviour, and that they were not a treat. Unfortunately, at age 6 or 7 I didn’t learn to differentiate between bees and wasps, so when I tried to play with them I got a nasty sting which has left a scar on my face!”
His family work hard to conserve and improve the bee population on their farm, avoiding using any chemicals or pesticides on the coffee plants which would risk harm. Of course, it’s not just coffea arabica that benefits: “We are delighted to see the resurgence in beekeeping around Quinchia. Especially in the higher parts of town, the bees will be busy pollinating during the coffee flowering season - alongside other flowers from the farm like bugambilias (bougainvillea), jasmine, and petunias.”
Some 1,200 miles north, Antonia Lucrecia Tum of our Guatemalan partner producer Finca Medina echoes the same sentiment: “We take special care choosing which fertilisers we use, ensuring all of them are friendly to the environment. The result of this is that every year we see an amazing flowering of the coffee bushes, with many varieties of bees visiting.”
You can view a short YouTube video of bees at Finca Medina here.
We all know how important bees and other pollinators are to our natural environment, and, as with so many commodities around the world, it can be difficult to find a clear path to making sustainable choices. Having relationships with producers such as Esnayder and Antonia help us understand the steps they take to protect their environment and natural resources, doing their bit to help the planet along the way.
Antonia sums up the importance of bees in one wonderful sentence: “This fiesta of bees is one of the most beautiful experiences we have at Finca Medina.”
A fiesta of bees... What a lovely image. Bee-yond their products, Beevive is dedicated to building a community of bee lovers. Join them online at beevive.com to explore their bee blogs and bee identification guide, and learn all about the wonderful world of bees!
