Silvia Rojas

Another beautiful washed coffee exported for us by our friends Laura and William at Minga Coffee, Huila. The coffee itself was grown and processed by Silvia Rojas and her husband Guillermo. Together they have 4 hectares of farmland where they grow both coffee and dragonfruit as cash crops. On the coffee side they work with Castillo and Pacamara varietals. The Pacamara is relatively new for them, after Silvia noticed her brother-in-law had some seeds lying around. They had been a gift he had never utilised. Curious about them, she started a nursery and planted them at the highest point of the farm. After 5 years the trees were fully grown, and Silvia and Guillermo were happy to discover the cup quality of this varietal compared to the Castillo. But another difference in the two varietals soon became apparent, and it was less exciting: the saplings had been planted as they would plant the Castillo, but Pacamara needs a lot more space. The densely packed trees mean some branches are impossible to harvest, so the couple have made the decision to remove some of the trees. This will improve pickers' access to the trees, and the trees' access to sunlight and airflow.