Spain has a deep-rooted coffee tradition. It’s a bit like Belgian chocolate: it’s not a cocoa-producing country, but they know how to choose both the quality of the beans and the way they’re processed. The traditional way of working with coffee in Spain – roasting – is not to the liking of many; Therefore, roasters have emerged that select better beans and perform roasting processes that ultimately ensure you get quality coffee in the cup.

However, Spain does not produce coffee in large quantities. At least for now, there are farmers trying to change the situation and turn Spain into the coffee capital of Europe. And the most interesting thing is that the Catalan region can make a huge contribution to this movement.

Spanish coffee, slowly. For several years now, the municipality of Agaete in Gran Canaria has been producing a specialty coffee that is highly valued by its consumers. This is not mass production, but it is clear that the climate of the island plays in favor of this type of crop, which requires very specific conditions. We also see the initiatives of farmers trying coffee varieties in mainland Spain.

There are examples in both Málaga and Almuñécar where tests have been carried out to obtain large coffee plantations of the Arabica variety. The conditions in Agaete are ideal for this crop and those in Andalusia are promising, but what is interesting is that there are those trying to grow coffee in the north. Much further north: in Catalonia.

outside the tropics. There are many factors that affect coffee cultivation, but there is also a basic guide to coffee cultivation: Arabica grows at altitudes between 800 and 2,100 meters, while Robusta grows at altitudes between 500 and 1,200 meters. The temperature of the first varies between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the second varies between 22 and 26 degrees. Therefore, in the “coffee belt” we have Asia (above all Vietnam and India), South America and Central Africa as the most suitable areas for coffee cultivation.

The Canary Islands are at the upper limit of this belt, and with climate changes, the southern Andalusian coast is also seen as a new option for cultivation, but… Catalonia? Yes, that’s what a couple (Eva and Joan) tried, who have 5,000 coffee trees on their farm in Sant Vicenç de Torelló, a town of barely 2,000 in Osona.

Trial and error. According to what we read in Ara, the couple started examining the land, rain and climate of their farm eight years ago. After this analysis, they discovered something unusual: Extremely far from the optimum zone, it turned out that their region had 90% of the climatic conditions suitable for growing coffee. This is because they are located in a valley, so the mountains and oak trees act as a natural wall, creating a microclimate suitable for the growth of coffee trees.

They introduced the cultivation of shade coffee, but this took them some time to perfect. Especially three germinations. As explained in El Nacional, the first harvest was lost due to bureaucratic confusion in the electrical wiring of the heat engines. The plants…died. The second time the coffee trees had trouble germinating. By the third germination, Eva and Joan began to see the fruits, especially the first grains.

genetic adaptation. With this first harvest, the couple carried out a tasting that led to a conclusion and found that the way the tropical climate plant can withstand temperatures that can reach -5 degrees in winter and 40 degrees in summer is adaptation. They imported seeds from a secret source (as they confessed to Ara) and analyzed them so they could grow on the farm. By “stressing” the plant it adapted to the region. During the warm months it can be found outdoors in a shaded crop, but the cold and frosty months are spent in the greenhouse.

aiming high. Joan and Eva’s goal is to produce 7,000 kilos of coffee from seven-year-old plants. It’s not much, but it’s a start for a coffee that doesn’t yet know what it will taste like. And although the origin of the seeds is unknown, El Nacional states that their aim is to obtain coffee from the Geisha (currently the most sought-after) and Castillo varieties.

Climate change means staying warm when you go outside. Currently the work on this farm is done by four hands, but the coffee plantation is intended to employ around twelve people, with coffee professionals making the first visits to taste the product in 2025. Only time will tell what the fruits of this coffee that grows in an unusual latitude, but may not be so exotic in a few years, are.

We have already seen the example of Sicily, where a century ago an attempt was made to plant coffee trees that died every winter due to low temperatures and which, due to climate change, now bloom without outside help. Controlled growth areas.

Image | Theogomez

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