About This Coffee
Jairo Arcila purchased Finca Santa Mónica in 2002. Together with his wife, Luz Helena Salazar, who also works as farm administrator, Jairo replanted the farm with Costa Rica-95 and Castillo. These varieties that are resistant to coffee leaf rust (CLR), which is now a common threat to production throughout the region.
Cultivation
In addition to coffee, Jairo and Luz Helena also cultivate papaya, banana and plantain.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After selective handpicking, ripe cherry is pulped on a traditional drum pulper and laid to dry on raised beds. The sweet, sticky layer of mucilage and coffee sundries for 15 to 20 days. If the weather is unsuitable for drying, Jairo may use a mechanical dryer to finish the drying process. Once dry, coffee is stored for 20 to 30 days in a temperature-controlled warehouse in Armenia before being transported to the warehouse in Manrepo, Armenia.
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.