About This Coffee
Ana Bolaños has been a coffee producer her entire life. In 2015, shr and her husband made the decision to focus on specialty coffee production and sold 1 of their 3 farms. Today, they cultivate high quality specialty coffee on 2 farms and produce excellent lots like this one.
They cultivate high quality varieties including the ombligon in this lot.
Ana’s 5 children are grown. Her sons follow in her footsteps and are coffee producers. Her daughters are working professionals. She says her biggest dream – to see her children grown and happy – has already been realized. Her current dream is to improve her processing and drying infrastructure.
Cultivation
The biggest challenge Ana faces is the changing weather patterns. She continues to forge ahead. By focusing on specialty production and high-quality varieties, Ana is able to garner higher prices for her excellent quality.
In addition to the Ombligon in this lot, Ana and her husband cultivate Pink Bourbon, Caturra, Tabi, Geisha and Pacamara.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ana carefully processes coffee to preserve the nuanced flavors she's cultivated. She selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and pulps it on her farm. She ferments coffee and then washes it in clean water to remove any remaining mucilage. Parchment is typically dried on marquesinas, parabolic dryers on the roof of her house.
Ombligon
Ombligon comes from "ombligo", the Spanish word for belly button. It’s a local name for a variety that has a belly button-like shape. The exact origin of this variety is unclear. Some conjecture that it is a new variety that was selected from varieties growing at an abandoned CENICAFE research center in Huila. Others think it may be another term for Pacamara. Either way, when treated with a quality focus, Ombligon produces an enjoyable, high-quality cup.
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.