La Pradera Estate RFA Organic FW

La Pradera Estate is a third-generation family farm. Father and son duo, Hector and Oscar Daza, inherited the farm from Hector’s father, José Rosario Daza. Today, they own and manage La Pradera Estate where they are focused on growing specialty coffees in the congenial climate of Aratoca in Santander.  

Hector and Oscar plan to pass the farm on to Oscar’s sons, Oscar Duban and Edward Yesid. Together, the two brothers, José Rosario’s great-grandchildren, would be the fourth generation of Daza men to manage La Pradera Estate. 

The farm focuses on growing Colombia, Castillo and Caturra varieties because they are more resistant to coffee leaf rust (CLR) and other diseases that affect coffee trees. Thanks to La Pradera’s high altitudes that average 1,700 meters above sea level, they are also able to grow the more delicate varieties, like Tabi, Geisha, Typica and Bourbon, that flourish at higher altitudes.   

The farm is close by to Chicamocha Canyon, a steep canyon carved by thousands of years of water from the Chicamocha River running over the terrain. The canyon and the river that runs through it provide a soft breeze and keep the farm cooler than lands further from the canyon.  

Oscar keeps the soil healthy by applying approximately 20kg of organic compost to each tree over the course of the year.  

RFA stands for Rainforest Alliance, a certification system that emphasizes climate-smart agriculture. RFA farms have at least 40% of land covered by canopy, significant species diversity (at least 12 native tree species per hectare, on average) and a system of natural vegetation buffers between agricultural land and bodies of water.  The farms also use organic fertilizers.