Meet Our Farmers
87 | La Soledad
Uriel Montoya
Nestled in the San Carlos area of Urrao, La Soledad was part of the Uriel's parent's farm before they split it between their sons. With his land, Uriel has 2,500 trees - 1,000 Bourbon and 1,500 Chiroso. He expects to plant more trees in the future as well. At 58, Uriel has spent over twenty years in the coffee business. While he has no intention of retiring soon, he does hope that his children, France and Carlos, will continue the family farm one day. With that in mind, he wants to position them for success. He sees the specialty coffee market as the best option for the future and wants to establish relationships that will continue for many years to come.
89 | Bagamenton
German Garcia
Bagamenton has been home to the Garcia family for over 40 years. Nestled at over 2,300 meters above sea level, Bagamenton has the highest elevation of any farm that we have worked with. This above the clouds location plays a fundamental role in the quality of the coffee that is produced at the farm. German and his siblings were raised at the farm, where they learned the production of coffee. German’s father, Francisco, used to work at the neighboring coffee farms all year round to provide for his family, meanwhile German’s mother, Bertha, took care of the kids and the farm. Sadly, his father passed away in 2006 when German was just 8 years old. As a result, the Garcia family became more dependent on the farm. They started planting more coffee and nowadays they have about 1,700 trees between Colombia, Caturra and Typica varietals.
92 | El Arrayan - Gesha
Jhon Valencia
One of Finca El Arrayan's greatest assets is it's location - high altitude, volcanic soil, ideal microclimate. Unfortunately, the farm's greatest weakness is also it's location - previously a FARC stronghold, Ituango is now caught in the post-conflict crosshairs. While the peace treaty brought an agreement between the government and FARC, it has opened the door for new armed groups to move in, each vying for a slice of the illicit enterprise left behind. People now live with a bag packed, ready to leave on short notice, and there have already been a few displacements in the last two years. On a more positive note, Jhon remains dedicated to his coffee and we are very excited to be offering his Gesha varietal. We've been working with him since he started these trees in his nursery and patiently waited for them to mature. Despite the uncertainty and challenges, Jhon remains committed to producing great coffee and we are proud to share it with you.
93 | Los Cedros
Jorge Restrepo
Born in Betulia, Jorge Restrepo has worked with coffee for as long as he can remember. His father passed away when Jorge was just 14 years old and he stepped up to run the family farm. Now he lives at Los Cedros with his wife Sandra, their children and their pets (two dogs, two cats, and plenty of chickens). Located 2,100 meters above sea level, Los Cedros has 8,000 trees of the Castillo, Caturra, and Chiroso varietals. Jorge is very aware that coffee is ultimately a food so he strives to keep everything at the farm very clean and organized. His beneficio is immaculate and he changes the water in his fermentation tanks frequently. Jorge started working with specialty coffee in 2014 when he participated in the Taza Antioquia. The next year he placed 7th. While that brought him a new audience for his coffee, he still felt that he could find a better outlet. He is hopeful that direct, long-term relationships with roasters will help him hone his coffee to further suit their needs.
94 | Pedregal - Bourbon
Menardo Diaz
Menardo lives with his wife Luz Marina and their adopted son Carlo at Pedregal. Originally working in the remote region of El Putumayo, Colombia, Menardo raised cattle and pigs. Through hard work, smart budgeting, and a credit from Banco Agrario he was able to purchase El Pedregal. The one hectare farm benefits from its location and high altitude, allowing Menardo to produce the caturra variety coffee without the high risk of leaf rust. As he becomes more experienced with coffee, Menardo is now very interested in learning how to improve processing practices in order to continually improve quality. Currently, he would like to improve his wet mill and his drying facilities. We are very excited to be working with him and hope to help him achieve all his goals.
99 | La Capilla - Gesha
Alipio Muñoz
Alipio has deep roots in coffee. His parents were coffee farmers and he grew up learning the lifestyle from them. He still believes there is tremendous opportunity in the industry for farmers who are willing to learn and adapt to what the market is demanding. Alipio embraces traditional techniques, but welcomes any input and guidance that will help produce coffee of an even higher quality. He’s looking for the right connections to develop strong relationships with customers.
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