An Update from Origin Bridge: The Earthquake in Colombia
On Monday, August 10th, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia, epicentered near San José del Palmar in the Chocó department.
Felt as far as Bogotá, Medellín and even Panama — and it hit hard across our coffee region.
The tremor caused serious damage across Pereira, Manizales and Cali. We want to share an honest update with our clients, partners, and everyone who has reached out with concern over the past days.
Our Team Is Safe
First and most importantly: everyone on the Origin Bridge team — including our scouts on the ground — is safe. That is the news we are most grateful for, and we know many of you were thinking of them specifically.
We've been receiving an overwhelming number of messages from concerned friends, clients and colleagues around the world. Thank you — truly. We're doing our best to reply individually, but wanted to also share this update here for everyone at once.
What We Know So Far
It's still early days, and honestly, we expect the real scope of the damage to become clear only over the coming weeks. What we can share right now:
Our Own Spaces
- Casa Azul, our café and hostel, was damaged and is currently closed
- Our cupping office also sustained damage, mainly to equipment — grinders, coolers and other machinery — though the building itself came through relatively well
- Our own apartment in the region was damaged and is currently unlivable
Farms & Logistics
- Finca Morelia: storage warehouse and silo collapsed
- Several other partner farms show structural damage
- Some farmers' homes are no longer livable
- Active export shipment in progress — status of Buenaventura port and our Tuluá mill still unconfirmed
Where Things Stand
Damage Confirmed, Full Scope Unknown
We were in the middle of an active export shipment when the earthquake struck. We are still waiting to hear on the current condition of the port in Buenaventura and our mill in Tuluá, and don't yet know what impact this will have on logistics or timelines.
We'll share concrete updates on shipment and delivery impact as soon as we have reliable information — not before.
What's Next
Over the coming days and weeks, we'll be focused on checking in with our farming partners, assessing the damage properly, and figuring out how we can best support the people and farms we work with. We'll share updates here as we learn more.
It means a great deal to us and to our team in Colombia.
Have a Shipment or Order With Us Right Now?
If you're waiting on a lot or logistics update and haven't heard from us yet, reach out directly — we're prioritizing active shipments as information comes in.
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