Description

“Arte y Pasión Cafetera

Founded: 15 February 2024

Municipality: Ortega, Tolima

Veredas: Los Olivos, Altoguayabos, San Nicolás, El Carmen, Santuario, and more

Associates: 62 total (17 women and 45 men)

Productive area of the associates: 101 hectares of coffee

The association was born out of the initiative of several coffee growers from the rural areas of Los Olivos, Altoguayabos, San Nicolás, El Carmen, among others. Motivated by the low coffee prices offered in the urban centre of Ortega, and the limited incentives for quality coffee, they decided to form their own association.

The association’s main focus and social objective are the production of high-quality coffee. Its primary activities include the production, purchase, processing, and sale of coffee in both domestic and international markets; the management of various processes to empower, train, and strengthen organisations in coffee technology through business agreements that improve production; and the agro-environmental cultivation of coffee to enhance the environmental, social, and economic impact on producers and allied communities. The association is also involved in the processing and commercialisation of coffee at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

Néstor is a member of Arte y Pasión Cafetera and one of the founding members of the association. He is recognised as a regional leader, well known for his knowledge and attention to detail in coffee processing. His farm, named La Argentina, covers 9 hectares, of which 3.8 hectares are planted with Colombia and Caturra varieties—about 13,000 trees, all approximately four years old. Two hectares of the farm are designated for coffee production.

Process:

The key part of his processing is the careful manual selection of cherries at the appropriate stage of ripeness for his specialty lots.

He leaves the coffee for 12 to 14 hours in an oxidation phase in cherry, then pulps the coffee and ferments it in open tanks for 30 hours before washing it twice with very clean water.

The coffee is then slowly dried in parabolic solar dryers for 10–15 days, depending on the weather.”

Falcon Coffees