Although the Alianza association whom this coffee comes from has a few hundered members, this coffee of La Loma comes from a small group of 30 select growers in the sub-municipality or "vereda" under the same La Loma name. Located only a couple of kilometers from the main town of Buesaco, La Loma has one of the most beautiful views of the region which overlooks the Juanambu Canyon.
History
This regional blend from Buesaco, Narino comes from the Alianza Café association. In 2010 and 2012 two growers from the Buesaco region won the Colombian Cup of Excellence. With this, it became clear that the region had potential to be sold and marketed as true specialty coffee, not only for small premiums for certifications.
A group of 17 growers formed the Grupo Empresarial Buesaco association which focused on the commeralization of their specialty coffees. The association grew, and quickly became too large to manage, they split into two separate groups and Alianza Café was born. Today Alianza is managed by six members of the Benavides family, who are committed to run the association with transparency and with the final goal of improving the income of the growers that participate in their programs.
Flavor Notes
Tropical Fruit, Citrus, Honey, Cream
The intense flavors of this coffee are largely impacted by perfect cherry selection, good processing and ideal weather conditions for specialty coffee production. La Loma's region is gifted with clearly defined rainy and dry seasons with particularly cold nights and mornings due to the regions high elevation.
Processing Information
Fully Washed
The producers who deliver for this coffee are all calibrated in their post harvest process. First perfectly ripe cherries are picked and pulped. Then the coffee is allowed to dry ferment for 36 hours and washed completely clean. Lastly, the coffee is dried on raised beds under parabolic plastic covers.
Regional Informaton
Buesaco, Narino
In the 1990’s and early 2000’s the region was controlled by the FARC guerrillas as the altitude in much of the municipality was perfect for growing opium poppy plants and coca. To this day’s most of the growers we work in this region become coy and awkward when asked them what they did during this time.
The guerillas were forced out of Buesaco almost 10 years ago, and it is now completely safe to conduct normal economic activities such as growing and buying coffee. We deeply believe that specialty coffee market serves a special purpose in ensuring this region is prosperous and its future is one of peace and not of recurrent conflict.
Credits:
Pergamino