Olmes Garcia Caldas Anaerobic Natural

In 2018, producer Olmes de Jesus García began experimenting with Natural and Honey processing methods to improve his coffee quality and compete in quality competitions. In 2021, his hard work paid off and his Natural lot won 3^rd place at the Best of Caldas quality competition.

Olmes is second-generation coffee produce and inherited Finca El Topacio from his parents. Olmes is a member of the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Anserma (Anserma Cooperative, for short). He has been producing coffee from over 35 years. His wife and adult son help Olmes cultivate and process their coffee.

Finca El Topacio is located in Caldas, where the high altitude is complemented by a cool breeze coming from the Risaralda River Valley. The farm abounds with diverse native plants that provide shade for coffee trees and a habitat for native animals.

Olmes and his family selectively handpick ripe, red cherry to ensure only the highest quality coffee is produced. They seal the cherry in airtight barrels and anaerobically ferment it for 96 hours. Following fermentation, cherry is laid to sundry. They rake cherry frequently to ensure even drying.

The Cooperativa de Caficultores de Anserma (Anserma Cooperative, for short) connects farmers across the municipalities of Anserma, Belalcazar, Risaralda, San José and Viterbi. Anserma Cooperative was founded in 1967. Today, members number over 2,000 farmers and span a wide age range. Most member farmers cultivate coffee on approximately 2.5 hectares and intercrop their coffee trees with other crops. Many farmers also keep livestock to help diversify their incomes and feed their families.  

Parts of Caldas are located in Eje Cafetero, the Colombian Coffee Growing Axis. Eje Cafetero was the first major coffee-producing region in Colombia. For many years, the region held the distinction of being the most well-known and highly sought-after Colombian coffee region. Tropical rainforest conditions, volcanic soil and a wealth of rivers and streams in Eje Cafetero make the area ideal for coffee growing.

Today, producers in Caldas are increasingly focused on high-quality coffee production. These producers have become common and well-known enough to earn an affectionate colloquial name in the region. They’re called juiciosos (literally: sensible/wise), which in this case means hard-working and attentive to detail. In addition to finding ways to perfect existing processing methods, juiciosos are experimenting with new processing methods and planting new varieties of coffee.