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From October 21 to November 1, 2024, for the first time in our history, Colombia will have the privilege of hosting the most important international event on biodiversity. The Conference of the Parties, in its 16th edition, will take place in the city of Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca and the Colombian Pacific. The COP is to the world of international environmental negotiations what the World Cup is to football, but with greater representation of nations. The ball is in the tropical forests of the Pacific, our seas, and in the cultural wealth of our people.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international treaty adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, which came into force in 1993. Its objective is to conserve biological diversity, ensure its sustainable use, and promote the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from the use of genetic resources.
The discussions review progress in implementing the goals, make political decisions, and adopt measures to advance the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
The COP on Biodiversity is important for establishing agendas, commitments, and global action frameworks related to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, as well as addressing challenges such as the climate crisis, loss of natural habitats, and overexploitation of natural resources, among others. The decisions made here are directly related to actions aimed at combating climate change.
It is held every two years and gathers representatives from more than 190 member countries of the convention, as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders, who will have the opportunity to participate in a global dialogue on protecting and restoring nature in line with the 23 goals.
These THREE PILLARS of our sustainability framework create a common direction:
The construction of
A BETTER FUTURE
for people
and for the piece of the planet
that we are responsible for
enjoying, developing, and protecting…
At Agrícola Himalaya, we believe that well-being must be nurtured every day by all of us so that tomorrow we can reap the fruits of a fairer society, environmental conservation, employment, education, and development for everyone. In the community, we provide job opportunities for more than 200 families.
This is made possible thanks to the Employee Fund and the Agrícola Himalaya Foundation. In this way, every time you purchase a Hindú or Bitaco product, you support the education of children and young people in the mountains of Bitaco, Valle del Cauca, as well as the preservation of the ecosystem and biodiversity in this region.
For 60 years, we have been bringing our delicious flavors to all of Colombia, filling every moment with well-being for you and your loved ones. We are the leading brand in the infusion, tea, and herbal market in Colombia. We continue to conquer international markets; currently, we are in Panama, Bolivia, Guatemala, Paraguay, and other countries in Latin America.
At Hindú, we believe in taking time for self-care, in the invitation to awareness, in cultivating rituals, and in finding meaning in tea and individual moments.
We invite you to create a movement for a better world and to make tea the best excuse for living fully.
We are Bitaco, a cup of magic that comes from the Andean mountains of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. We cultivate the only special loose-leaf tea made in Colombia and delight palates with our exquisite signature blends and high-quality infusions, bringing the flavor of our land to cups around the world. We are tea of origin and unique signature flavors, born from the tradition and expertise of Agrícola Himalaya, a company that has been supporting Colombians with Hindú Tea since 1960.
For a tea to be classified as special, it must have:
The company owns the only tea plantation in the country at its Hacienda Himalaya (HH). Its land use plan defines its environmental vocation.
The company owns the only tea plantation in the country at its Hacienda Himalaya (HH). Its land use plan defines its environmental vocation.
When you drink our teas, you also care for majestic trees like oak, cedar, and Choco cacao, because we are protecting their home, the most biodiverse natural reserve in the world.
When you drink our teas, you also care for majestic trees like oak, cedar, and Choco cacao, because we are protecting their home, the most biodiverse natural reserve in the world.
Agrícola Himalaya provides a permanent Environmental Education program for its employees and conducts ongoing sustainability campaigns through the networks of its brands, Hindú and Bitaco. Agrícola Himalaya operates under a sustainability framework based on the triple bottom line:
It generates value through its two brands of infusions and soluble products: HINDÚ and BITACO. The former originated over 60 years ago in the Bitaco region and is known for its extensive CTC technique portfolio of flavored teas, herbal teas, fruit infusions, health-benefit infusions, and soluble teas and fruits. The latter, BITACO, comes from the region of the same name, which gives it unique characteristics recognized internationally as a source tea.
It has been accredited as a GREEN BUSINESS by CVC since 2016 and is organic; it offers consumers high-altitude loose tea, certified by Ecocert, with a Rainforest seal, and factories accredited by SGS in ISO 22000, as well as whole particle herbal and fruit infusions, all premium products for gourmet consumers. Currently, it exports 30% of its products, while the Bitaco brand exports 67% of its tea production.
The highest portion of forest constitutes the Himalaya Natural Reserve, which connects biodiversity corridors that protect all water sources and surround the tea plantation, a very friendly tree for the ecosystem.
Hacienda Himalaya is part of the San Antonio Cloud Forest, an area of 8,900 ha that belongs to the Munchique hotspot, FIRST IN BIODIVERSITY WORLDWIDE.
Hacienda Himalaya starts at the watershed divide between the Atlantic basin (Cauca River) and the Pacific basin (Dagua River). It is part of the Colombian Pacific, located in the Bitaco district, municipality of La Cumbre, Valle del Cauca, and will be a visitor site at COP16.
Hacienda Himalaya is located on the western slope of the Western Cordillera of the Tropical Andes in the Bitaco district, municipality of La Cumbre, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
We are part of the San Antonio Cloud Forest (16,000 ha), located in the tropical Andes hotspot, FIRST IN BIODIVERSITY WORLDWIDE.
Hacienda Himalaya includes the Himalaya Natural Reserve, part of the San Antonio Cloud Forest, which connects the municipalities of Cali, Yumbo, Dagua, and La Cumbre with a humid forest strip of 8,795 ha that receives the clouds from the Pacific. The reserve is affiliated with National Parks through the National Unique Register of Protected Areas as a conservation zone, adjacent to the Bitaco Protective Forest Reserve and several private reserves.
The tea plantation, unique in the country and managed organically with certification, has become a biological corridor for many species. This is especially supported by the conservation forest strip located at the highest part of the estate, which connects to the lower areas through wide corridors that protect water sources and provide good habitat for faunal groups.
It is noteworthy that our territory, totaling 254 ha located between 1,700-2,050 m above sea level, is occupied 48% by conservation forests that produce environmental services, while the remaining area is dedicated to tea cultivation, a generous tree friendly to biodiversity.
In studying our territory over the years, biologists have discovered a treasure of biodiversity that we consider important to share with you.
We are proud to say, We are CARBON NEUTRAL! This seal certifies that Agrícola Himalaya, with its brands Hindú and Bitaco, is an organization that takes action in the fight to reduce pollution from all sources.
Our company incorporated its Corporate Carbon Neutral Program in 2018, achieving a reduction of direct emissions by 183 tons by 2023.
Agrícola Himalaya develops various environmental projects aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change, such as comprehensive solid waste management, integrated water resource management, the use of solar energy in production processes, and annual plantings of native trees in the Bitaco river sub-basin, among others.
The Ecological Integrity Index of Hacienda Himalaya highlights a high number of wildlife species that contribute to the conservation of native forests:
Mammals: 28, Herpetofauna: 51, Birds: 339, Flora: 772
Agrícola Himalaya’s land use plan ensures that its forest strips and biodiversity connectivity corridors occupy 49% of the territory, while the organic tea plantation occupies the remaining 51%. 100% of the territory provides environmental services by capturing carbon, regulating water, and producing oxygen.
We restore the edges of streams and small rivers that nourish the Bitaco River sub-basin. We continue to plant in these areas and around local aqueducts, and all spaces that serve to protect water sources and ensure connectivity.
Agrícola Himalaya provides a permanent Environmental Education program for its employees and conducts ongoing sustainability campaigns through the networks of its brands Hindú and Bitaco, encouraging them to properly dispose of each of the recyclable and biodegradable components of the product packaging.
The Ecological Integrity Index, conducted every four years by biologists specializing in various faunal and floral groups, uses technological tools to determine if these groups are still present, the number of individuals, and the increase or decrease of their populations compared to previous studies. Technology allows for the processing of this data for monitoring biodiversity in the area.
The Agrícola Himalaya Foundation, the social and environmental arm of Agrícola Himalaya, promotes participatory democracy in the Bitaco district through the consolidation of 8 Community Action Boards that lead various programs for the benefit of their inhabitants.
Agrícola Himalaya has a Committee for Evaluation, Addressing, and Equity that ensures compliance with human rights, labor rights, and gender equity policies, thereby guaranteeing fair spaces for participation and development for women and girls.
