Caldas Manzanares EA Sugar Cane Decaf

The department of Caldas is located in the coffee region of Colombia known as the Coffee Axis, situated in the central Andes mountain range.

The department is comprised of a central area with gently rolling topography and an average altitude below 2000 meters above sea level. This area is surrounded by the Central and Western mountain ranges, where several volcanoes and snow-capped peaks such as Santa Isabel, Quindío, and Cerro Tatamá, which reach heights of 4500 meters above sea level, can be found. The two mountain ranges are separated by the Cauca River Canyon.

This decaf coffee undergoes a meticulous decaffeination process. Natural ethyl acetate, derived from sugarcane, gently removes caffeine while preserving the region's rich coffee flavor.

Manzanares is a Colombian municipality situated in a mountainous area in the department of Caldas. It boasts a rich diversity of plant species typical of tropical forests in the mountainous region, as well as wildlife including foxes, squirrels, and rabbits.

Other agricultural products they cultivate include plantains, bananas, sugarcane, and Yuca. 

The decaffeination process combines high mountain spring water with naturally derived ethyl acetate. Ethyl acetate is obtained from a process based on sugarcane. The coffee only comes into contact with these elements, following these steps: 

1. Green coffee is received and transported to individual silos.
2. In the pre-treatment stage, coffee beans undergo a steaming process to remove the silver skin. The coffee is moistened to open its pores.
3. In the extraction tanks, coffee beans are submerged in ethyl acetate, and it then circulates through the beans, thereby removing the caffeine.
4. The coffee is subjected to steaming to eliminate any residual ethyl acetate. During the drying process, moisture is restored to the designed parameters.
5. In the cooling silo, the coffee is brought to room temperature. Subsequently, the coffee is polished with vegetable-based wax to protect and enhance its appearance.
6. Finally, the coffee is transferred to a silo from where it will be packaged.

Sustainable Harvest® is a specialty coffee trader focusing primarily on bringing coffees to market that are sourced from smallholder farmer cooperatives in the supply chain such as indigenous communities, women groups and the next generation of coffee farmers.

Their sourcing model is built on transparency, traceability and direct relationships between quality-minded coff­ee roasters and best-in-class coffee producers. Sustainable Harvest® has an on-site presence at origin with staff­ in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. Each office coordinates their supply including quality management, supplier relationships, source development, logistics, training and capacity building.