Colombia
Cauca
Smallholder Producers
Smallholder Farms
Caturra, Castillo, Colombia
Washed
2024-2025
Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Agua Panela, Almond, Hints of lemon, Lime Zest, Nutty
2000 meters
N/A
70 Kg W/GrainPro
USA - New Jersey - CTI
Inzá Blend comes from a group of smallholder producers in the Cauca region, specifically in the municipality of Inzá. Grown at
Inzá Blend comes from a group of smallholder producers in the municipality of Inzá, located in the eastern mountains of Cauca in southern Colombia. This high-elevation region, situated between 1,700 and 2,000 meters above sea level, is known for its volcanic soils, cool temperatures, and mountainous terrain, conditions that contribute to slow cherry maturation and coffees recognized for their vibrant acidity, sweetness, and structure.
Inzá is also home to strong Indigenous communities, particularly the Nasa people, whose connection to the land and agricultural traditions has shaped the region for generations. Coffee production in the area is deeply tied to community life, family work, and collective collaboration, with many farms managed through shared knowledge passed down over time. Alongside coffee, producers cultivate crops such as beans, corn, plantain, and cassava, supporting diversified rural livelihoods across the region.
This blend is composed primarily of Castillo, Colombia, and Caturra varieties cultivated on small family-managed farms. Producers apply traditional washed processing methods, contributing to a clean and vibrant cup profile that reflects the character of Cauca’s highlands.
What truly defines this blend is the collaborative spirit within the community. Producers frequently support one another throughout harvest and post-harvest activities, working collectively across neighboring farms and families. Their shared commitment to quality, consistency, and long-term growth creates a foundation that extends beyond individual producers.
This coffee represents both the regional identity of Inzá and the collective effort behind its production, a reflection of community, tradition, and the evolving specialty coffee culture of southern Colombia.
For this coffee, cherries are selectively harvested at peak ripeness by smallholder producers across the region. After harvest, the coffee is depulped using small-scale mechanical depulpers commonly found on family farms throughout the area.
The coffee then passes through a traditional washed process with immediate mucilage removal, minimizing extended fermentation and emphasizing clarity and cleanliness in the cup profile. Following washing, the parchment coffee is transferred to drying areas, where it is commonly dried on patios or raised beds under the cool mountain conditions of Inzá.
Drying is carried out slowly and carefully until stable moisture content is achieved, preserving the balanced acidity, sweetness, and structure characteristic of coffees produced in the highlands of Cauca.
The Colombian department of Cauca lies in the southwestern part of the country, with the Pacific Ocean to the west, Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila Department to the east, and Nariño, Putumayo, and Caquetá Departments to the south. Many rivers traverse Cauca, and the Central Range of the Andes Mountains runs through the department. Popayan is the capital city, and Cauca’s population is distributed throughout the rural highlands and valleys.
Coffee producers here are mainly smallholder farmers with less than 1.5 hectares of land and 4000–6000 coffee trees in production on average. The soil in the region is fertile due to volcanic ash, and the weather is filled with warm days and cool nights due to winds blowing from the paramo, high plateaus in the area’s mountains. These factors all contribute to the region’s classic cup profile, delicate and balanced with hints of confection-like sweetness.
