Colombia
Tolima
Smallholder Producers
Smallholder Farms
Colombia, Castillo
Washed
2024 -2025
Baked Apple, Creamy, Dark Chocolate, Orange, Red Apple, Roasted Nuts
2040 meters
Organic - EUDR
70 kg W/GrainPro
EU - Hamburg, Germany - Schwarze
This coffee comes to us through our partnership with InConexus de Café, a Colombian company with over 20 years of experience connecting smallholder coffee farmers to specialty markets. Working across seven regions and more than 29 farmer associations, InConexus provides technical support, training, and access to organic certification while ensuring traceability and sustainable farming practices throughout the supply chain.
This Tolima blend brings together lots from small farms located between 1,600 and 2,400 meters above sea level. Volcanic soils, abundant rainfall, and diverse microclimates define this region, creating ideal conditions for cultivating high-quality coffee. Farmers manage their plots using traditional and sustainable methods, avoiding synthetic inputs and focusing on careful post-harvest handling to produce clean, washed coffees.
By sourcing from these smallholder producers, we support communities across Tolima and strengthen their access to international specialty markets. This blend reflects the region’s diversity and the commitment of its farmers to organic and sustainable production, offering a fully traceable and responsibly sourced cup.
Once dried, the parchment was delivered to Pétalo Solar, the dry mill operated by InConexus, where the coffee was hulled, sorted, and prepared for export following organic-compliant protocols. The mill plays a crucial role in ensuring consistency and traceability for certified coffees.
This lot underwent washed processing. Ripe cherries were selectively hand-picked and pulped to remove the outer skin before being fermented in water for 12–36 hours, allowing natural enzymatic activity to develop clarity in the cup. After fermentation, the coffee was thoroughly washed, sorted, and moved to raised beds to dry under the sun, with frequent turning to ensure even drying.
Throughout each step, farmers maintained strict quality control, selecting only fully ripe, defect-free cherries. This careful approach showcases the balance and cleanliness characteristic of Colombian washed coffees while honoring long-standing regional traditions.
The Colombian department of Tolima is nestled in the heart of the Andes, in the center-west of the country. It ranks first nationally in the production of rice and sesame, and its agricultural landscape also includes coffee, corn, bananas, sugarcane, and beans. Livestock—particularly cattle and pigs—is common in the valleys of the northwest and center-east along the Magdalena River and its tributaries. Of Tolima’s 47 municipalities, 32 are dedicated to coffee production.
Tolima’s capital city, Ibagué—known as the “Musical Capital of Colombia and America”—sits at the base of the Cordillera Central, surrounded by mountains and enriched by abundant water resources that flow into the Magdalena River Valley to the east. The department is well connected through highways and railroads that link Ibagué with Bogotá, Armenia (Quindío), and Neiva (Huila).
Tolima’s geographical position, diverse topography, and wide range of altitudes make it one of Colombia’s most favorable regions for coffee cultivation, enabling multiple harvest cycles throughout the year. Coffee farms are predominantly smallholder-owned and distributed across the slopes of the Cordillera Central and the foothills of the Cordillera Oriental. Over the past decade, producers have made a concerted effort to develop specialty coffees that express the region’s distinct terroir.
Organic and environmentally conscious cultivation is an important part of Tolima’s identity. Certifications such as Organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, and Bird Friendly are common throughout the region. Selective manual harvesting, meticulous processing, and careful post-harvest sorting all contribute to Tolima’s growing recognition as a specialty coffee origin.
In recent years, Tolima’s coffee sector has attracted significant financial and educational investment. Public and private organizations have implemented social and economic programs aimed at strengthening sustainable coffee production and improving the livelihoods of thousands of farming families across the department.
