Nariño

Nariño is characterized by steep slopes, and extremely high altitudes as well as a unique climate. Warm, humid air makes its way up from the valleys during the evening hours, allowing for coffee to be grown at higher altitudes than in the rest of Colombia, without risk of frost. Producers are small, biodiversity is traditional, soils are nutrient rich and well-drained.

Caturra

A natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in the early 20th century; Caturra derives its name from the Guarani word for “small,” a reference to its diminutive stature that results from a single-gene mutation causing dwarfism. It was this small size- allowing for more trees to be planted closer together- that led to mass selections of Caturra being made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas in the 1930’s. Caturra then made its way to Guatemala during the 1940’s and then was widely adopted in the 1970s by the rest of Central America, where it is now one of the most economically important varieties. At high altitudes Caturra has strong quality and yield potential but unfortunately, is quite susceptible to disease.

Washed

The cherries are floated in tanks, depulped, and then placed on mats (estopas) for fermentation for 50 hours. Afterward, the coffee
undergoes a double wash before moving on to the drying process. For drying, a concrete drying patio is used, where the coffee is spread on drying mats (lonas) for 15 to 17 days. Once dried, it is moved to the main warehouse, transferred into bags and mats, and stored on pallets.