Farm info

Finca Santa Maria is one of nine farms within Hacienda Cafetera La Pradera in Aratoca, Santander, Colombia. Santa Maria is run by 22 women, all heads of household, and follows La Pradera’s mission of strengthening the Santander coffee cluster, contributing positively to the community, and producing coffee in harmony with the natural world.

Finca Santa Maria is certified with the Con Manos de Mujer seal, verifying that it was produced by the hard work of women coffee producers. They share the labor of planting, tending, pruning, harvesting, and processing the coffee. La Pradera also involves both locals and visitors in the operations of the farm, inviting everyone to visit and see the hard work that the women of Finca Santa Maria have undertaken.

Besides this certification, Finca Santa Maria is also Bird Friendly Coffee (A Cetification by Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute) that works to conserve habitat for birds. Smithsonian scientists developed the Bird Friendly certification for coffee in the late 1990s to conserve habitat and protect migratory songbirds — and this trusted brand has recently expanded to cocoa. Bird Friendly habitat ensures a mix of foliage cover, tree height, and biodiversity that creates quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. This certification provides farmers with a premium for their products, and because of stringent growing standards, the Bird Friendly program is also a critical asset in fighting climate change.

This lot of Tabi coffee underwent Natural processing. Only ripe cherries with a sugar content greater than 18 degrees Brix are harvested. Cherries are then taken to an optical sorter before being fermented anaerobically for 100 hours, ensuring that the temperature of the fermentation remains below 22° C. Cherries are then dried for approximately 30 days until reaching a humidity of 11%.

Get to know Ana Mildred Muñoz who leads Finca Santa Maria in our blog series, A Few Questions With.