Colombia La Plata (Huila)

Farm: Various smallholder members of Aprocoagrosh
Varietal: Primarily Caturra & Colombia
Processing: Fully Washed & dried on parabolics and raised beds
Altitude: 1,900 to 2,100 metres above sea level
Owner: Various small holder farmers; 15 producers contributed to this lot
Town / City: La Plata
Region: Huila

Whilst Huila is naturally blessed with optimal coffee growing geography, the key to great quality coffees from the La Plata region (such as this lot) are the growers themselves. Coffee farming within the region is overwhelmingly small-scale with approximately 80% of producers from the region farming coffee on less than 3 hectares of land. These small farms are tended by individual families with labour only very rarely being contracted out, which leads to more thorough and intensive management practices and great pride in the final product – which is, itself, an extension of the family.

A few years ago members of the large cooperative to which the producers who contributed to this lot belonged realized that their location and passion for coffee farming gave them a special edge when it came to producing high quality coffee. Seeing some of the quality initiatives and micro-lot separation that forward-thinking cooperatives around Colombia were exploring, a small group of about 20 producers broke off from the larger regional cooperative to establish their own organization – named Aprocoagrosh – in early 2014 Aprocoagrosh has an established relationship with our exporting partner, Pergamino, who have worked with other cooperatives in Colombia who seek to harness quality coffee as a means to improving quality of life for their members.