About This Coffee
The Cooperativa de Caficultores de Anserma (Anserma Cooperative for short) connects farmers across the municipalities of Anserma, Belalcazar, Risaralda, San José and Viterbi. The region lies in the “Eje Cafetero,” also known as Colombia’s Coffee Growing Axis or the Coffee Triangle. Eje Cafetero is the heartland of Colombia’s coffee industry and is responsible for a significant portion of total Colombian coffee production. Anserma Cooperative was founded in 1967. Today, members number over 2,000 farmers and span a wide age range. Most member farmers cultivate coffee on approximately 2.5 hectares and intercrop their coffee trees with other crops. Many farmers also keep livestock to help diversify their incomes and feed their families.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Since nearly all farmers in the Eje Cafetero region rely on coffee for a significant portion of their income, most use advanced cultivation techniques to minimize their risk. Pests, diseases and impending climate change can be combatted by planting varieties with rust resistance, frequently planting young trees to keep rootstock healthy and productive and by using Best Agricultural Practices related to inputs, pruning and more. At the same time, coffee processing in Eje Cafetero remains largely traditional. After harvest, farmers process cherry on their own farms. Processing units vary in size and complexity, which is usually correlated to the size of farm and total harvest. Most farms in the region are smaller, averaging about 2.5 hectares. On such farms, labor is typically done entirely by the family, with little-to-no hired help. The family harvests by hand and carries each day’s harvest to the farm’s intake point for sorting and processing. After sorting, coffee is pulped and fermented for an average of 14 hours, depending on ambient weather conditions. Following fermentation, the parchment is washed and laid to dry for 5 to 10 days. Smaller farms may use patios to dry parchment in the sun or under shade cover while larger farmers can have more extensive set ups.
Coffee in Colombia
Colombia has been producing and exporting coffee renowned for their full body, bright acidity and rich aftertaste, since the early 19th century.
Colombia boasts a wide range of climates and geographic conditions that produce their own unique flavors in coffee. This also means that harvest times can vary quite a bit. In fact, between all its different regions, Colombia produces fresh crop nearly all year round.
The increasing focus on the specialty industry is changing the way traders and farmers do business. It is becoming more common for farmers to isolate the highest quality beans in their lots to market separately. These higher-quality lots are often sold under specific brands or stories.
Besides its wide variety of cup profiles, Colombia has quickly expanded its certification options over the past 10 years. The most common certifications available are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Organic.