Henry Aldana El Libano Tabi FW

Henry Duvan Aldana Perdomo is the owner of Finca El Libano in El Placer, Santa Maria, Huila. He purchased the farm 30 years ago and has since dedicated his life to coffee cultivation, a practice he carries out with pride as a family inheritance. For Henry, coffee is not only his sole source of income, but also part of his family legacy. 

Henry’s journey into specialty coffee began as he worked to improve his processes using the varieties he cultivated, following recommendations from neighbors and friends who recognized both the potential of his land and his dedication. Today, work on the farm involves 8 employees, including 2 permanent and 6 seasonal workers. 

Finca El Libano sits at 2,000 meters above sea level in Santa Maria, Huila. The farm measures 2 hectares and has 3,000 coffee trees, mostly Typica and the Tabi which composes this lot. In addition to coffee, Henry grows produce and fruit trees on the farm. Henry’s coffee distinctive character is linked to the combination of favorable climate, the farm’s location and fertile soil well suited to the varieties under cultivation. 

During the harvest season, Henry selectively handpicks ripe cherry. After picking, cherries are floated in water to separate low-density fruit. Cherry is then pulped into a tile-lined tank and fermented for 36 hours and, after, parchment is dried on a marquesina, a raised drying structure commonly used on Colombian coffee farms. Marquesinas are preferred over traditional open-air patios in the region because they protect the coffee from Colombia's unpredictable rainfall, which is a major challenge given the country's two rainy seasons. They allow the slower, more controlled drying that specialty coffee producers prize.  

Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. Total drying time usually takes between 20 to 30 days. 

Tabi is a cross between Typica, Bourbon and Timor created by Colombias National Coffee Research Institute (CENICAFE). It was released in 2002 and combines Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistance with the good cup quality of Bourbon and Typica. Similar to those two parents, Tabi is tall with long branches. However, Tabi has slightly larger fruits and seeds and can be grown at high altitudes, and in high density, with up to 3,000 trees per hectare. The name come from the word “tabi,” meaning “good” in Guambiano, the dialect of a native Colombia tribe.

Source: https://sprudge.com/a-users-guide-to-colombian-coffee-varietals-5205.html & https://dailycoffeenews.com/2019/02/07/the-coffee-roasters-complete-guide-to-coffee-varieties-and-cultivars/

Cuatro Vientos is a family-owned exporter based in Colombia. Founded in 2018 by Julian & Yonatan Gonzalez and based in Huila, the company is named after the Gonzalez’s first farmnwhere the brothers spent much of their childhood.  Yonatan and Julian learned much of what they know from their father, Armando Gonzalez who was a “pergaminero,” someone who bought and sold parchment coffee. Sucafina has worked with Cuatro Vientos since 2021. 

Through their partnership with Sucafina, Cuatro Vientos is able to more effectively reach new markets. This, in turn, means they can work with more farmers and develop better programs to support their farmers.

Cuatro Vientos has 3 purchasing points in Huila: Acevedo, Santa Maria and Algeciras. These points are more than just places where they buy coffee, though. They are service hubs where farmers can access services to maintain quality and reach new markets. For Cuatro Vientos, farmers are long term partners who are focused on quality.

With these three locations, Cuatro Vientos is able to source fresh coffee year-round. In their unique position across Huila, they can tap into two alternative harvest seasons within Huila. The northern Huila harvest occurs in the first half of the year and the southern Huilaharvest happens during the second half of the year, providing high-quality coffees year round.

They also own 2 warehouses that are strategically placed in Acevedo (in Southern Huila) and Campo Alegre (in Northern Huila). The warehouses provide an array of important services to farmers. Farmers can dry their coffee, store dried parchment in silos and learn to grade and evaluate coffees in the cupping labs. 

Cuatros Vientos adds value by offering logistics and milling support to the over 30 farms that they work with. These farmers are all specialty oriented and Cuatro Vientos’ focus on specialty processing helps farmers ensure that their coffees are handled properly.

One of Cuatro Vientos’ biggest impacts is their credit line offerings. Growers need financing at the beginning of the harvest and it is difficult for them to access financing through traditional banks due to a lack of financial documentation. By providing financing through their partner, Bancolombia, Cuatro Vientos is supporting long term farmer profitability. They also provide financial education workshops that increase farmers’ financial literacy and promotes overall success.  

They also provide marketing services for farmers, helping them manage samples and tell their stories. Importantly, they act as an integral part of a two-way conversation between producers and roasters about what they’re looking for, what they can do and how they can best achieve the results they’re looking for.