Colombian Bitcoiner aims to orange-pill coffee lovers one bean at a time

José Luis Garcia is simply a coffee-lover and entrepreneur trying to marque his people successful the metropolis of Medellín — the birthplace of Colombia’s modern java industry.

Since the October motorboat of his start-up Lightning Koffee, Garcia has 2 goals successful mind: Make a decent cupful of joe and dispersed the connection astir Bitcoin (BTC).

His java beans — which he's called “The Bitcoiners Coffee” — are sourced and processed locally and are known for having a saccharine after-taste.

Garcia believes his Colombian java tin service arsenic a span for his chap Paisas (Medellín locals) to lessen their reliance connected the unpredictable Colombian peso and thin much toward adopting Bitcoin.

“We person the champion java successful the satellite and I privation my java marque to dispersed the connection astir Bitcoin truthful that different businesses volition statesman to person it too,” Garcia said successful an interrogation with Cointelegraph.

He added it would “help thrust the Bitcoin circular economy” — wherever lone Bitcoin is traded successful speech for goods and services.

@LightningKoffee ⚡️☕️ #LightningNetwork #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/VP6nb235RE

— José⚡️☕️ (@josebitcoiner) October 30, 2022

Lightning Koffee presently doesn’t judge fiat but does judge different cryptocurrencies too Bitcoin. However, Garcia said he’s a self-confessed maxi and wastes nary clip converting different tokens to Bitcoin.

“If a idiosyncratic is going to wage maine successful shitcoins I volition judge it because, astatine the extremity of the day, it is money. Then I person it instantly into Bitcoin which is what I'm funny in.”

Garcia said he’ll soon commencement taking fiat payments done the likes of Mastercard and Visa astatine which clip helium plans to halt taking cryptocurrencies that aren't Bitcoin.

Lightning Koffee joins different Medellín businesses bringing unneurotic crypto and consumables. In June 2022, Mind Cafe, oregon “Crypto Cafe,” was 1 of the archetypal cryptocurrency-focused restaurants successful El Poblado, the tourer country of Medellín.

In summation to accepting Bitcoin and Lightning payments, the cafe offers its customers the accidental to immerse themselves successful a metaverse-themed situation wherever they tin physique their ain avatars and bargain a java oregon immoderate accepted Colombian nutrient with Bitcoin.

— Camila Campton (@camilacampton) July 16, 2022

Garcia is portion of a radical of section Bitcoiners that person travel unneurotic to assistance beforehand Bitcoin’s circular economy in the metropolis — and much newcomers are popping up each month.

“The crafty things we're doing are meetups with different Bitcoiners and radical successful the metropolis of Medellín,” Garcia said.

Buying immoderate delicious java with #Bitcoin successful Colombia ☕️ pic.twitter.com/K9FfCQqe8w

— Luke Mikic⚡️ 9-5 Escape Artist (@LukeMikic21) April 26, 2023

Bram Kumuly, an autarkic Lightning developer who erstwhile lived in Medellín, told Cointelegraph helium felt a “new energy” amongst the Bitcoin assemblage connected his past sojourn to the metropolis — making him optimistic that Bitcoin's beingness determination volition stay long-term.

A Bitcoiner meetup successful Medellin successful June. Source: José Luis Garcia

However, Kumuly acknowledged that a wider crypto, nonfungible token (NFT) and blockchain civilization exists in Medellín whose values aren’t needfully aligned with accepted Bitcoiners.

Some Colombians yet to spot the orangish light

Unfortunately for Medellín's Bitcoiners, it’s been a pugnacious clip convincing everyone of Bitcoin's merits.

Kumuly mostly attributed this to Colombians not knowing however wealth works, however the Colombian peso is failing them and however Bitcoin offers an alternate solution.

“Most radical determination inactive deliberation Bitcoin is astir trading and getting affluent quick,” Kumuly said, adding galore don’t recognize Bitcoin could beryllium a fiscal instrumentality that tin instrumentality powerfulness and power distant from the politicians that galore Colombians person small religion in.

This cognition spread is reflected successful Bitcoin’s staggered circular economy in Medellín which is inactive confined to Bitcoiners and isn't "very powerfully oregon visibly expanding," says Kumuly.

"There mightiness beryllium much places accepting it, but currently, lone six places that judge Bitcoin are marked connected BTC Map and it has been similar this for a agelong clip already with nary growth.”

There are presently 106 stores successful Colombia that judge Bitcoin arsenic outgo which lags down the astir Bitcoin-friendly state successful the portion of El Salvador with its 451 stores, according to BTC Map.

106 stores judge Bitcoin successful Colombia. Source: BTC Map

Kumuly said the lion’s stock of Bitcoin spending has travel from integer nomads and foreigners with small ongoing section presence. Meanwhile, connected the merchant side, Kumuly said businesses are inactive reluctant to judge Bitcoin due to the fact that of its terms volatility.

Related: Micro $3 Bitcoin miners won’t marque bank, but that’s not the point: Inventors

There are signs of beingness connected the method broadside of Bitcoin and Lightning improvement in Medellín which could summation Bitcoin spending successful the area, says Kumuly.

— Plan Marcus ⚡️☣️ (@plan_marcus) April 6, 2023

He said Medellín-based Bitcoiners request to propulsion momentum by gathering connected Bitcoin civilization to perchance triumph implicit customers and merchants.

He believes what Medellín needs arsenic a adjacent measurement are "local Bitcoin-only tech companies who physique Bitcoin products for the radical and merchants of Medellín/Colombia, and that are up-to-date connected a technological level.”

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