Nariño Organic Coffee

This community lot comes from Ecoterra, a coffee-producer cooperative in Colombia’s storied Nariño department. Ecoterra’s 117 members cultivate coffee on small farms that dot the verdant slopes of the mountains ranging from 1,800 to 2,100masl. Amidst the lush greenery, coffee plants grow organically alongside crops of corn, bananas, beans, and onions, painting a vibrant tapestry of agricultural bounty.

With an average temperature of 20ºC and an annual rainfall of 844 millimeters, the microclimate is ripe for quality coffee growth. Producers abide by the traditional semiannual fertilization practice, where trees receive organic nutrition once before they flower, and again after cherries are harvested.

Nariño Coffee

Nariño is a small department on the corner of Colombia that borders Ecuador and the Pacific Ocean. The region sits just a hair above the equator, and some of the highest-grown coffee in the world is found here. The towering altitude, framed by warm days and cool nights, is the perfect environment for slow coffee maturation and concentrated sugar development in coffee cherries.

In Nariño, it’s not unusual for producers to have their own micro-mill. Harvesting, floating, depulping, fermentation, washing and drying generally all take place at the farm level.

Washed Process Green Coffee

In the “washed” or “wet” process, freshly harvested coffee cherries are depulped and the beans ferment in a traditional concrete tank for 36 hours. Afterward, they are washed three times to remove any remaining mucilage and dried in a parabolic solar dryer for 12 to 16 days.

Washed processing is the traditional method of choice for Colombian producers. The cup profile of washed coffees tends to reflect the terroir of the coffee. The processing method allows the growing conditions, the region, and the true character of the coffee to shine through.

Colombian Coffee

Over half a million families dedicate their livelihoods to producing unroasted Colombia green coffee on small farms that dot the country’s volcanic mountain ranges. As the world’s third-largest producing country, the volume, quality, and variety that comes out of Colombia year-round is staggering. Coffee from Colombia is never dull, and with 16 coffee-producing regions along three mountain ranges and two harvests each year, Colombia always has fresh coffee on hand.