Farm info

Frank Rivas Torres is a coffee producer, Q Grader, and the primary manager of his family’s estate, Finca La Indonesia, in the Nariño department of Colombia. Frank and his siblings—Juan Angel, Gabriel, and Yorgeny, all coffee producers in their own right—cultivate coffee across the La Indonesia property, which was handed down from their grandfather, Marco Antonio Torres. The estate is comprised of several plots of land located just outside of La Pradera town in La Union municipality. The family’s history in coffee is long, with Marco Antonio being one of the first people to cultivate coffee in La Union more than 80 years ago. Frank and his siblings grow coffee alongside fruits and many different trees for shade at La Indonesia, with an emphasis on preserving soil quality and responsible water management.

La Indonesia sits 1750 meters above sea level on one of Nariño’s many mountain slopes. The farm has infrastructure to process Washed, Honey, and Natural coffees, as well as over 300 square meters of patios for drying coffee. Plantains, citrus, bananas, lulo, and corn are all cultivated alongside the coffee crop as well.

Managing the quality of the environment is a priority, as well as having a scientific approach to the quality of the coffee crop. The land is fertilized four times per year with the aim of preserving the organic matter in the soil. Coffee cherries are measured with a brixometer to determine the optimal harvest time, choosing the best sugar concentrations for each cultivated variety. The family has also planted several varieties at La Indonesia, including Pink Bourbon, Maragogype, Bourbon Sidra, and Yirgacheffe, seeking out unique profiles and emphasizing high quality coffee over large production volumes.

This lot of Caturra coffee underwent Natural processing. Harvested cherries are measured for their sugar content, ensuring a reading of 22 degrees Brix before processing. Cherries are sorted via floatation to remove defects before being washed with a mixture of water and alcohol. The washed cherries are put into food-grade plastic tanks and are dry fermented for 100–120 hours. The fermented cherries are dried for approximately 20 days on raised beds before being finished on the drying patio where they reach a humidity of 10–11%. Coffee is stored in LatinA Tech bags prior to shipment.

Region

Nariño

Nariño is one of Colombia’s 32 Departments. It shares a southern border with Ecuador and is home to thousands of smallholder coffee producing families. Colombia’s three ranges of Andean mountains converge in Nariño, presenting ideal altitudes and fertile soil for high grown Arabica production.

Nariño’s particular geography and proximity to coastal and land borders have historically transformed it into corridors for illicit trade routes, resulting in unwarranted violence against residents of remote mountain farms. Today, thanks to the particularly resilient and fearless spirit of Nariño’s farmers, the small region is a respected nucleus of coffee innovation.