About This Coffee
Ferney Claros inherited his farm, Palo Alto, from his parents. He has worked in coffee for many years, and today he works together with his wife to grow and care for their coffee.
This exceptional Yellow Bourbon lot benefits from their
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked and pulped on a classic pulper. Then, it is fermented for 10 to 20 hours, depending on ambient temperature. After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid to sundry. Parchment takes an average of 7 to 15 days to dry. Throughout drying, parchment is turned regularly to promote even drying and carefully inspected to remove any damaged beans.
About COFFEESUR
COFFEESUR (Precooperativa Comercializadora de Café del Sur) was founded by Francy Alarcon in 2013. Alarcon’s parents grew up in Colombia’s coffee-growing regions and her dual interest in her heritage and the international export business inspired her to form COFFEESUR.
She identified Acevedo, in Huila, as an area ripe for a specialty coffee revolution. A superb microclimate combined with an existing interest in transitioning to specialty coffee among producers made the area an easy choice.
In addition to exporting green coffee from established farmers, Alarcon has created the “Next Generation” project that focuses on the children of coffee farmers and at-risk youth in the community. “Next Generation” offers young people in coffee-producing communities a chance to be involved in specialty coffee and acts as a stepping stone to a future career in the industry.
About Huila
The Huila region is one of the most well-known coffee growing areas of Colombia. The Department of Huila has a population of 1.125 million and is located in the southwest of the country. The capital of the department is Neiva, a city of about 380,000.
Along with Cauca and Nariño, Huila is one the three departments where the Colombian Massif is located. A massif is a group of mountain ranges and the Colombian Massif, which is known locally as Nudo de Almaguer, provides up to 70% of safe drinking and agricultural water for the Colombian population.
The Magdalena River, Colombia’s largest river, runs through the region, providing plenty of water for coffee farming and generating (directly and indirectly) up to 86% of Colombia's GDP. The mountain range also features the fertile volcanic soil so typical to the Andean Mountains.
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.