arango, Author at Arango Specialty Coffee

13 | Las Gradas

Producer William Martinez	Description Silky, cherry, caramel, bakers chocolate
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Colombia
Region Nariño	Elevation 1,750 meters
Position ETA October, 2023	Warehouse Continental New jersey

Growing up in the countryside, William worked at several coffee plantations. With the support of his father, he started planting his own coffee 19 years ago. Now he calls Las Gradas home along with his wife and two daughters. William has plenty of ambition and there are many upgrades he would like to make to his farm. In 2020 William added a new parabolic drying bed. Now he is planing the addition of a wet mill. He currently uses one at a neighboring farm. The ability to earn a better price for his coffee has allowed William to provide for his family and also improve his farm,

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01 | La Capilla

Coming soon!

Producer Alipio Muñoz	Description Cherry, maple syrup, honey
Process Washed	Varietals Caturra
Region Nariño	Elevation 1,750 meters
Position ETA October, 2023	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

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 always looking for ways to improve the quality of his coffee.

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94 | Pedregal – Pink Bourbon

Coming soon!

Producer Menardo Diaz	Description Floral, lemon grass, honey
Process Washed, sun-dried	Varietals Pink bourbon
Region Nariño	Elevation 2,160 meters
Position ETA October, 2023	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Menardo lives with his wife Luceida 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 Pink Bourbon 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.

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25 | El Cajón

Coming soon!

Producer Carlos Castillo	Description Sweet, stone fruit, bakers chocolate, spices
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Colombia
Region Nariño	Elevation 1,950 meters
Position ETA October, 2023	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

El Cajón is home to Carlos, his wife, Rosa, and their three children. The whole family is involved in the farm and loves to grow coffee. A testament to their hard work and dedication, El Cajón has grown slowly from a small plot of land to what it is today.

With all they have invested in the coffee industry, the family has decided to focus on the quality of their coffee in an effort to achieve some sustainability. They have started working with the geisha variety of coffee and are planning improvements to the farm including a new storage area and a new wet mill.

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54 | Bodegas

Coming soon!

Producer Edwin Benitez	Description Caramel, sugar cane, milk chocolate
Process Washed	Varietals Colombia, Castillo
Region Nariño	Elevation 1,750 meters
Position ETA October, 2023	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Edwin has worked with coffee all his life, originally learning to the trade from his father. After his father passed away, he inherited part of his land and continued growing coffee. Edwin knows first hand the hard work and dedication that coffee demands and believes the low coffee prices do not fairly compensate for them. He sees great opportunity in developing direct trades relationships that recognize the quality of the coffee he is producing.

Edwin lives with his wife Blastenia, his son Jaider, and his daughter Graicy at Bodegas. He wants to continue the legacy that his father left him, and is now teaching his son the best practices for improving quality. He is hopeful that the evolution of the specialty coffee market will provide some stability for the future generations of coffee growers.

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