Colombian Smallholders Organically Grown

Sourced from the Planadas subregion of South Tolima, this washed lot represents the work of 1,325 small organic farmers organised into 25 groups. Many are continuing generations of family coffee growers, cultivating Colombia, Castillo, and Caturra at elevations of up to 2,050 masl.

Planadas lies at the southern tip of Tolima, near the borders with Huila and Cauca. Located in the foothills of the central range of the Colombian Andes, the region benefits from high elevations, cool temperatures, abundant sunshine and rainfall, and fertile volcanic soils.

Coffee farming in Tolima is deeply rooted in tradition. However, in some areas infrastructure remains less developed due to the region’s history of conflict. Tolima is where the FARC guerrilla movement originated, and communities across the department endured some of the most severe years of Colombia’s internal conflict. Despite outstanding growing conditions, this isolation historically limited farmers’ access to technical support, agricultural inputs, and stable markets for their coffee.

For this lot, organically grown cherries are carefully selected, depulped, and fermented to break down the mucilage. The coffee is then thoroughly washed and dried in parabolic greenhouses for 10 to 18 days, depending on climatic conditions.