Las Cuevas Tolima FW

Producers Robison and Angelica Olivera are proud to raise their two children on Finca Las Cuevas. They originally produced corn and used to store it in the large cave the farm is named for but, after falling on love with coffee, the duo transitioned the land to coffee production and never looked back.

The Oliveras only trust family members, who understand the importance selection, to participate in the harvest. Together, they ensure that only the highest quality cherry is picked. Once picked, they sort and then pulp cherry. Living in a remote area plagued by violence, the family has limited resources. In order to maximize their coffee quality while stretching their income, they repurpose an old refrigerator into a fermentation tank. This clever contraption makes a great story and helped them place 4^th in the 2018 Cup of Excellence!

Coffee ferments in their fridge-cum-fermentation tank for approximately 36 hours. They wash coffee in fresh water and lay it to sundry. Robinson and Angelica rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 12 to 15 days for parchment to dry.

Tolima lies deeply nestled in the Central Andes. While the climate is well suited for coffee production, Tolima has remained a less popular region due to the prevalence of armed conflict and drug trafficking. Many farming communities have been caught in the crosshairs of these conflicts.    

More recently, the region has had an opportunity to open up and reduce incidents of violence and drug production or smuggling. Despite its complicated past, Tolima is Colombia’s third-largest coffee-producing department. 

In such conditions, producer organizations play an important role in transforming their communities. Associations or cooperatives can create more jobs and make coffee appear more appealing to young people. Many groups in the region organize courses and training to develop barista skills, quality control and even business management.  

In a region where the job availability outside of coffee farming is very limited, providing new opportunities for work is essential to draw young people away from becoming involved in the endless cycle of violence and criminality. On top of all the community-wide benefits, being part of a cooperative helps producers gain much better access to support on an agronomical, commercial and economic level.