Colombia
Nariño
Jose Solarte
La Maria
Castillo
Anaerobic Washed
September
Pear, Caramel, Floral
1950 meters
N/A
70 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
La Maria is a family farm in Buesaco, Nariño, Colombia, owned and managed by members of the Solarte family. Jose Solarte, a lawyer specializing in constitutional law, his uncle Jairo Solarte, an electronic and computational engineer, and Jose’s father Luis Solarte, a zoologist, work together to oversee the farm which includes 12 hectares of Caturra, Castillo, Colombia, and Pink Bourbon coffee.
The family employs 2–3 core workers to manage post-harvest processing during harvest season, as well as 10–20 pickers from neighboring families. Processing at La Maria is determined by climate conditions and market demand, with Washed and Natural processing being the most commonly used. Jose and his uncle Jairo are working to implement and standardize lactic and alcoholic fermentation for their coffee, which has been born from their research into yeast and lactobacillus cultures.
This lot of Castillo variety coffee underwent Washed processing. After harvest, cherries are fermented whole for 48 hours in an anaerobic environment. Once the pH and degrees Brix measurements reach the intended levels during the first fermentation, cherries are then pulped. The pulped coffee seeds are fermented again for 48 hours in a dry anaerobic environment. The coffee is then rinsed with spring water following the second fermentation before being moved to the mesh-covered drying patios. The washed coffee is then dried for 18–22 days on raised beds until reaching the desired humidity.
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 a corridor 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.
