About This Coffee
The "Asociacion de Productores Agropecuarios de Cafe Especial de Planadas" (ASOPEP) was established in 2013. Despite its relatively young age, ASOPEP is a prominent leader in the region. It boasts a larger membership compared to other associations in Tolima and stands as the sole cooperative with a fully integrated infrastructure. This infrastructure enables ASOPEP to oversee all stages of processing, quality control, transportation, and commercialization.
ASOPEP's women's program, led by 56 quality-focused producers, represents a commitment to coffee as a lifelong endeavor. Through dedicated committees, these empowered women champion community-building and societal strengthening. They create ventures that offer additional income streams beyond coffee, showcasing their dedication to women's empowerment.
Cultivation
The farms where this coffee was grown, are located in Planadas, situated between 1,600 and 2,100 meters above sea level.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
This decaffeinated coffee offers a delightful flavor profile, featuring fruity notes of peach and nectarine, complemented by subtle floral hints. The decaffeination process is natural, utilizing high-mountain spring water and Ethyl Acetate (AE) of natural origin. AE naturally occurs in coffee beans, as well as various fruits and vegetables, eliminating the need for synthetic chemicals. This water-AE method gently extracts caffeine, preserving the coffee bean's natural structure and characteristics, avoiding excessive heat and pressure.
Sustainable Harvest
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.
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.