Carlos Escobar, Colombia
DIFFERENTE Coffee
Please tell us a little about yourself:
I’m a son of a Colombian coffee farmer. On saying that , I left my home country not wanting anything to do with coffee after witnessing my family’s struggles during the coffee crisis. But fate had other plans. After moving to Australia, where I lived for 12 years, I discovered the magic of specialty coffee and realized that 'Coffee didn’t let me escape! It came for me even that far from home!'… I sometimes think that “I didn’t choose coffee, coffee chose me!”
Over the last 14 years, I have immersed myself in every corner of the specialty coffee industry, working with roasters, equipment manufacturers, cafes, and competing since 2016. I had the fortune of winning the Australian Brewers Cup in 2020 and placed 4th at the World Brewers Cup in Milan in 2021.
In 2023, I returned to Colombia, where I founded DIFFERENTE Coffee with a mission: to keep some of Colombia’s finest coffees within the country (as they normally get exported) and to challenge the stereotype that 'roasters from origin countries don’t cut it.'
hard work and dedication paid off this year, as I won the Colombia Brewers Cup, fulfilling my dream of representing Colombia on the world stage… let’s keep dreaming!!
What are you excited to do while you are in Jakarta?
The local food, and visiting some coffee farms.
What are your interests outside of coffee?
Is there anything outside of coffee? Haha! Not much, just meditation and exercising.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
My two best friends, coaches, motivators, and teammates… Simon Gautherin, the French water master, and Hernan Cabra, the Colombian GOAT!
The rest of my team, Young, the 2023 World Cup Taster Champion and her beautiful wife, Jean.
My family, my dad who always encouraged me to keep my love and passion for coffee, he calls it “my art”!
The amazing Colombian coffee community and amazing farmers we have, way too many to mention, but special shout outs to: Finca Las Flores, Jardines del Edén, El Paraíso, Granja La Esperanza, Mikava, La Negrita, Uba.
And all Latin American coffee producers, we should stop the conflict between nations and get together as a powerhouse region!
