Álvaro Gaitán has been the Director of Scientific and Technological Research of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia for 7 years, leading the activities of the National Center for Coffee Research – CENICAFÉ around the More Agronomy, More Productivity, More Quality strategy, which promotes technical change in coffee farming, supported by scientific experimentation and potentiated by the outreaching activities of the Extension Service of the Federation.

He has worked for more than 30 years implementing his training as a microbiologist with a doctorate in Plant Pathology from Cornell University, in applied research in Coffee Diseases, Genomics, Genetic Resources, and Intellectual Property, pursuing solutions to the constant challenges for coffee production in profitability, government policies, sustainability, and consumer requirements.