Cecilia Hoyos, El Carmen - Espresso Roast

Another great all day drinker from the El Carmen de Acevedo association in Huila, and this one from female producer Cecilia Hoyos.

Most of the coffees from the association members are combined to create the El Carmen coffees processed as washed and naturals and some then sent for decaffeination. Raw Material's on the ground team select and separate a number of lots due to their cup quality, a testament to the hard work and care that the El Carmen producers are taking. 

This is out 8th year of supporting Raw Material and their Red Association projects. In that time they have built new infrastructure, paid individual farmers a minimum price of 1M COP/ carga of dry parchment coffee they produce through a community lot. This price results in over double the household income of a typical coffee producing family, compared with the average income in the regular market over the past 5 years. With the new infrastructure built, payments have been received directly by producers. The goal is to achieve stable and sustainable prices for community coffee lots through improved quality control, shared knowledge, and a connection to the specialty coffee market.

Physically, RM built drying bed facilities and QC infrastructure at the community central hub in the town of El Carmen. Through a new payment system, they provide stable prices that result in 2.5x the average household income, compared to previous seasons. El Carmen provides stable and sustainable prices for producers through a connection to the specialty market, improved quality control, and shared knowledge across the value chain.

We have roasted this coffee longer with a higher end temperature to accentuate the body and sweetness characteristics. This makes it ideal for espresso brewing, particularly milk drinks like a flat white, latte or cortado.

 (All images courtesy of @Andrea Jimenez)