Colombia

Coffees grown in Colombia are highly prized in our industry for several reasons. The mountainous terrain provides high altitudes and varying microclimates, leading to a diverse spectrum of flavour possibilities throughout the country. Diversity is encouraged by the large number of small farms, with those below 5 hectares producing much of the coffee in the country, especially in more rural regions like Huila and Nariño. Even these small farms generally have their own processing facilities, both wet mills, where the coffee is pulped, fermented and washed, and space for drying the coffees.

The structures put in place by the National Federation of Coffee Growers (FNC) starting as far back as the 1930’s mean that individual farmers here have an access to the market not seen in many other countries in the coffee belt. Information on farming and processing techniques is readily available, and the dry-milling and export system in Colombia has been built from the ground up to deal with micro-lots, down to the work of one single farmer.

The generally small farms, and direct access to market, also leads to a key feature of Colombia’s industry; its agility. Coffee production here bas both shaped and been shaped by the speciality coffee movement; empowered producers with easy access to market, growing coffee on small farms with fertile soils and ideal conditions.

Both Durley and Jorge grow coffee near the town of Palestina in southern Huila, one of the most renowned growing regions in Colombia. Huila’s volcanic soils, undisturbed by the intensive agriculture seen further north, are full of nutrition, and alongside high altitude, lead to excellent conditions for producing high quality coffees. Many of the driven and agile small farmers here have family history in coffee, but haven’t been working on the same large industrialised farms for generations, like we see in more established coffee regions. This leads to a willingness to experiment, to innovate, and create lots that fulfil ever changing needs in the speciality coffee market. This is the case for Durley and for Jorge, embracing the Pink Bourbon varietal, and reflecting the realities of their farming systems in the cup.

This lot is from Durley’s section of the original Sánchez lands, and is composed of the Pink Bourbon varietals. The Sánchez family have long been a driving force in speciality coffee in Huila, and were one of the first to adopt  Pink Bourbon. Always with a view to ‘lead from the fields’, they have continually pushed for modern coffee growing techniques that add value, while keeping the reality of many farmers’ situation in mind. Pink Bourbon, while giving a more distinct cup profile than many traditional Colombian varietals, also yields high, and tolerates many diseases and fungi. The washed process used here is also a Colombian tradition, de-pulped, fermented for approximately 24 hours, washed, then dried on raised beds. Here we find an excellent example of the traditional Colombian profile, with a very clean currant and apple acidity balanced by a rich and syrupy body and complex aromatics.

Coffee nr. 1

Jorge met Orlando Sanchez, Durley’s father, not long after he moved to Palestina. Orlando saw Picudo’s struggle as a newcomer to coffee production, and offered him seeds from his own lands; Pink Bourbon and Geisha. These allowed him to start his journey as a coffee producer, shaped by his time as a deciduous fruit grower in the north. Picudo didn’t even have the capital to invest in a de-pulper, so had to process his first crops the only way he could, as naturals. When it came time for Picudo’s first full harvest a few years later, this also became a problem; there are coffee buying centres all over Colombia, especially in renowned growing regions like Huila, but none know how to deal with anything other than clean, white, washed parchment. Picudo’s natural Pink Bourbon and Geisha were simply too far from the ‘Cafe de Colombia’ mould. It was here that Orlando stepped in again, introducing Picudo to LaREB, connecting him with buyers willing to pay a premium for his unique product.

Coffee nr. 2

The team from LaREB immediately saw his potential, high altitude, excellent shade, organised plantations and careful processing, by an experienced, driven and canny farmer. The introduction only took place in 2023, and with a few tweaks to practices, Picudo’s recent harvests are singing. The clean tropical fruit notes in this Pink Bourbon would almost suggest a washed process, but for the heavy and rich sweetness and creamy body, but with minimal loss in clarity.

Colombia is and will continue to be one of the world’s most exciting countries for speciality coffee. Colombia produces a huge volume of coffee; second only to Brazil, and far ahead of Ethiopia. The potential for quality is immense, and the population at large feel a genuine pride in their coffee growing heritage. Our partners at LaREB’s cooperative model furthers this sense of pride by consolidating the supply chain, allowing producers to have a much closer connection with those that roast their coffees, and transferring a greater deal of the purchase value back into the hands of the producer.