Our Offerings - Arango Specialty Coffee

31 | El Arrayan

Producer Jhon Valencia	Description Citrus, honey, chocolate, brown sugar
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Caturra
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,100 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

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.

Jhon is no stranger to the turbulence of the area. Like many others, his family fell victim to the decades of violence with two of his brothers being kidnapped, one of them being killed. He persisted then and continues to now. Watching the strength and tenacity of Jhon and other farmers in this region has us more committed than ever, regardless of the challenges.

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66 | Las Palmeras

Afloat

Producer Carlos Correa	Description Balanced, honey, cherry, spices
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Caturra
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,100 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Born into a coffee family, Carlos Correa began accompanying his father on the farm as soon as he could walk. It was not long before he was helping pick cherries, turning beans in the drying beds, and pruning older trees. This lifetime of experience made it an easy choice when he was presented the opportunity to purchase Finca Las Palmeras in 2013.

Coming full circle, he now lives at Las Palmeras with his wife, Luz Teresa, and their 6 six children. The whole family works on the farm where they grow both Castillo and Chinchina varietals.

The 7,000 coffee trees are of various ages so even with the pruning cycles, they will have plants yielding cherries for every harvest. The children also have their own nursery where they are planning to plant 4,000 more trees so they can add the Caturra and Chiroso varietals to the farm as well.

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11 | Campo Alegre

Afloat

Producer Martin Tapias	Description Sweet, cocoa powder, sugar cane, lime
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Colombia
Region Antioquia	Elevation 1,800 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Martin takes great pride in the management of Campo Alegre. Upon visiting, it is evident that he has invested in a superior wet mill and quality marquesinas for wash processing and drying. Certain that his attention to every detail translates to an incomparable cup of coffee, Martin is just looking for the opportunity to prove it.

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64 | La Cartagena

Afloat

Producer Jorge Cartagena	Description Delicate, lime, honey, cocoa
Process Washed, sun-dried	Varietals Caturra, Colombia
Region Antioquia	Elevation 1,950 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Like many of the farmers we work with, Jorge learned the art of producing coffee from his father. However, after inheriting his father’s small coffee farm, he chose to sell it. With the money from that sale he was able to purchase La Cartagena, a farm that has allowed him to pursue the production of specialty coffee. He now has 4,500 coffee trees planted – a combination of Caturra and Colombia varietals. As he continually works to enhance the quality of his coffee, Jorge already has plans to improve both his water supply and his wet beneficio. Proud of his profession, Jorge is also teaching his children how to grow coffee. He hopes the family tradition will continue for many generations to come.

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33 | El Mango

Afloat

Producer Gilberto Giraldo	Description Balanced, sugar cane, stone fruit, chocolate
Process Washed	Varietals Colombia, Castillo
Region Antioquia	Elevation 1,800 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Like other farms in the area, Gilberto and El Mango have experienced a couple of challenging years. The extended dry season a year ago diminished the production yield considerably. On top of that, the resurgence of activity among armed illegal groups in the region led to multiple displacements from the farm, including once during the harvest last year.

While these obstacles proved difficult to overcome, Gilberto took them in stride and is still planning for the upcoming years. He has new varietals that will be maturing soon and is excited to experiment with different processing methods (something he had intended to do this year). His unwavering commitment to El Mango is evident and we are equally committed to riding out the ups and downs with him.

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84 | La Soledad

Afloat

Producer Ivan Montoya	Description Vibrant, citrus, lemongrass, honey
Process Washed	Varietals Chiroso
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,050 meters
Position Afloat – Under contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

A native of Urrao, Antioquia, Ivan began his coffee endeavors after inheriting a piece of land from his grandparents called La Soledad. Over the last 14 years, Ivan has developed about 3,000 Chiroso trees and credits the elevation of the farm, over 2,000 meters above sea level, as the secret ingredient to the high quality coffee he produces. In addition, the fertile soil allows for diversification as he also produces avocados and naranjilla.

Ivan is certainly proud of the coffee he produces, but he is even more humbled that it allows him to provide for his aging grandparents.

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75 | La Arboleda

Afloat

Producer Alberto Montoya	Description Sweet, green tea, peach, lemongrass
Process Washed, sun-dried	Varietals Chiroso
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,050 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Alberto grew up in the Urrao region and has many memories of working on coffee plantations. He eventually saved up enough money to purchase La Arboleda and began growing his own coffee. This proved to be a good investment as it is still home to Alberto and his wife of thirty-two years, Maria.
Aside from coffee, Alberto is also the president of the Junta de Accion Comunal in the region.

As a leader, he is always trying to improve the livelihood of the community through development and projects such as roads and bridges. He wants all the families in his community to have access to opportunities and believes direct trade (near and far) can help everyone succeed.

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28 | La Paloma

Afloat

Producer Alfredo Piedrahita	Description Honey, sugar cane, milk chocolate, cherry
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Caturra
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,000 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Growing up at El Chupadero, Alfredo inherited his father’s passion for coffee. When the time came to purchase his own land, he chose to stay in the area known for its unique, fertile soil. However, his 18 years at La Paloma are not something to be taken for granted. In 2000, illegal groups came to the area. They killed several people including one of his brothers and one of his cousins. After enduring these hardships, there was hope of stability in the Colombian government’s peace treaty with the FARC. Unfortunately, different illegal groups are still interested in the illicit enterprises left behind in the wake of this treaty.

We are particularly proud of the relationships developed around this coffee. For the fifth year in a row, the same roaster has purchased this lot. Alfredo works hard to continually provide a great product and the customers know who they are supporting and where their coffee is from. We love being able to bring people together over a cup of coffee.

Last year we had the opportunity of introducing Alfredo to the roaster that has been buying his coffee. Unfortunately we were unable to make it to La Paloma due to security concerns, but we arranged for a meeting in the town of Ituango. We had the opportunity to share and enjoy his excellent coffee with all the people that make it possible. It was a memorable cup of coffee!

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65 | La Primavera

Afloat

Producer Lizardo Montoya	Description Floral, brown sugar, butter, lime
Process Washed	Varietals Chiroso
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,000 meters
Position Afloat – Under contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Lizardo lives with his wife Luz Dary at La Primavera. They have been working with coffee for about 11 years and currently have trees of the Chiroso varietal at the farm. Chiroso is a relatively new varietal which is endemic to the region of Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia. A natural mutation of old-growth caturra, the beans are larger and have an oblong shape.

As this varietal gains recognition from importers and roasters, Lizardo is excited about the opportunity to grow relationships that will lead to sustainable prices. With a more predictable income, he would be able to budget for upgrades to the drying facilities at La Primavera. Even at 56 years of age, he is always looking for ways to improve.

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60 | El Balso

Afloat

Producer Walter Vargas	Description Juicy, citrus, sugar cane, floral
Process Washed	Varietals Castillo, Tabi
Region Antioquia	Elevation 2,100 meters
Position Afloat – Under Contract – ETA May, 2022	Warehouse Continental, New Jersey

Located in Betulia, El Balso originally belonged to Walter’s grandparents. Passed down through generations, it is now home to Walter, his wife, Gloria, their son, and Walter’s mother. As a true family business, everyone helps out with the daily activities and maintenance.

Of the 5,000 coffee trees planted, 2,000 are currently pruned and not producing coffee for this harvest. The other 3,000 consist of Castillo Rosario and Tabi varietals which will account for roughly 8 bags of beans. With this smaller scale production, Walter believes he is better able to focus on both carefully selecting cherries and processing them.

Budgeting for maintenance and upgrades is tough with narrow profit margins, but Walter recently replaced the plastic on one of his two marquesinas (drying bed). He would like to install pipes to transport the picked cherries from the field to the wet mill as well. We are hopeful that our financing opportunities and profit sharing business model will support his endeavors.

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