German Ordoñez Caturron Honey 

German Samuel Ordoñez acquired Aguablanca’s 6 hectares in the 90’s. German grew up surrounded by coffee, a vocation passed down from his father that he has kept alive with care and dedication ever since. His approach to variety selection is deliberate and responsive to the local environment: each variety planted at Aguablanca is chosen specifically for its suitability to the farm's soil type and altitude, a decision that German believes is the foundation of the farm's cup quality. 

Aguablanca sits at 1,600 meters above sea level across 6 hectares and is planted under 30,000 coffee trees, which thrive alongside food crops, including plantain and yuca. The farm employs 16 people in total, 6 permanent and 6 seasonal. Beyond coffee, Aguablanca holds a natural reserve and an exceptional viewpoint overlooking the surrounding landscape, reflecting a broader commitment to the land that goes beyond production alone. 

Cherry is rigorously handpicked at peak ripeness, with careful attention to selection from harvest through to drying. After picking, cherry is depulped and transferred to fermentation tanks, where it rests for 12 hours under controlled conditions. The coffee is then moved to a ventilated drying room where airflow and regular raking ensure uniform and even drying. Drying takes approximately 8 days. 

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. 

Caturron is one among several new varieties in Huila, Colombia. "Rumor has it that there was an experimental research farm near Acevedo, Huila," explains Juan Andres Gutierrez, Specialty Supply Chain Coordinator for Sucafina Colombia. "When the project was abandoned, the plants stayed behind." Now, several new varieties have been selected and spread across Huila that aren't found anywhere else. Caturron, which translates into "big Caturra" is one of these mysterious varieties. It's unclear whether Caturron is genetically distinct from all other known varieties since it hasn't been officially sequenced yet. But to the farmers of Huila, the unique features and flavors of these varieties are worthy of attention and many farmers are propagating these varieties and processing them in distinct lots. We're glad to have such unique and delicious varieties on offer! 

Cuatro Vientos is a family-owned exporter based in Colombia. Founded in 2018 by Julian & Yonatan Gonzalez and based in Huila, the company is named after the Gonzalez’s first farmnwhere the brothers spent much of their childhood.  Yonatan and Julian learned much of what they know from their father, Armando Gonzalez who was a “pergaminero,” someone who bought and sold parchment coffee. Sucafina has worked with Cuatro Vientos since 2021. 

Through their partnership with Sucafina, Cuatro Vientos is able to more effectively reach new markets. This, in turn, means they can work with more farmers and develop better programs to support their farmers.

Cuatro Vientos has 3 purchasing points in Huila: Acevedo, Santa Maria and Algeciras. These points are more than just places where they buy coffee, though. They are service hubs where farmers can access services to maintain quality and reach new markets. For Cuatro Vientos, farmers are long term partners who are focused on quality.

With these three locations, Cuatro Vientos is able to source fresh coffee year-round. In their unique position across Huila, they can tap into two alternative harvest seasons within Huila. The northern Huila harvest occurs in the first half of the year and the southern Huilaharvest happens during the second half of the year, providing high-quality coffees year round.

They also own 2 warehouses that are strategically placed in Acevedo (in Southern Huila) and Campo Alegre (in Northern Huila). The warehouses provide an array of important services to farmers. Farmers can dry their coffee, store dried parchment in silos and learn to grade and evaluate coffees in the cupping labs. 

Cuatros Vientos adds value by offering logistics and milling support to the over 30 farms that they work with. These farmers are all specialty oriented and Cuatro Vientos’ focus on specialty processing helps farmers ensure that their coffees are handled properly.

One of Cuatro Vientos’ biggest impacts is their credit line offerings. Growers need financing at the beginning of the harvest and it is difficult for them to access financing through traditional banks due to a lack of financial documentation. By providing financing through their partner, Bancolombia, Cuatro Vientos is supporting long term farmer profitability. They also provide financial education workshops that increase farmers’ financial literacy and promotes overall success.  

They also provide marketing services for farmers, helping them manage samples and tell their stories. Importantly, they act as an integral part of a two-way conversation between producers and roasters about what they’re looking for, what they can do and how they can best achieve the results they’re looking for.