Colombia
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
Various smallholder farms
Various smallholder farms
Bourbon, Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica
Washed
2024-2025
Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Clean, Lemon & Lime, Roasted Nuts, Sugar Cane, Sweet, Sweet lemon
1800 meters
N/A
70 Kg W/GrainPro
USA - New Jersey - CTI
“Excelso” is a Colombian export grade defined by bean screen size, slightly smaller than Supremo, yet consistent in size and suitable for export markets. The “EP” stands for European Preparation, meaning that beans are hand‑sorted to remove defects and foreign material, ensuring clean, uniform lots.
This coffee is fully washed using traditional wet‑mill methods, producing a clean, balanced cup profile. It is grown across the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a unique region where the Caribbean Sea meets snow‑capped mountains. The microclimate, altitude, and coastal‑mountain geography give coffee a distinctive and globally recognized profile. Coffee cultivation in this region is carried out by Indigenous communities, who apply ancestral and traditional techniques throughout the production process.
The lot comes to us through Rio Sierra, an initiative that promotes sustainable, traceable value chains. Rio Sierra supports agroforestry systems, works with local cooperatives, and operates a modern dry‑mill near the port of Santa Marta to ensure quality and export readiness.
This lot is directly tied to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, offering roasters a coffee that combines consistent quality, regional identity, and the story of community, sustainability, and ancestral knowledge.
The mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are only half an hour from the Caribbean coast. The Sierra Nevada mountain range runs through the Cesar, Guajira, and Magadelena departments. The region is home to many indigenous communities and settlers from Tolima, Norte de Santander, and Santander.
Coffee in Sierra Nevada grows between 900 and 1600 meters above sea level along steep mountain slopes. Coffee is cultivated under the shade of pacay, carbonero, walnut, avocado, and citrus trees. Environmental conservation and coffee production have coexisted in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta for many years.
The coffee region has more than 50,000 hectares planted with Typica, Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo varieties. There are more than 13,000 coffee growing families in the region, and all follow ecological practices in producing coffee. The Sierra Nevada mountains are like a natural sponge; the rivers springing from these mountains supply freshwater for more than five departments along Colombia’s Atlantic coast. Producers also incorporate soil conservation and biodiversity protection into their land management.
