Colombia
Tolima
Smallholder Producers
Smallholder farms
Caturra, Colombia, Castillo
washed - Sugar Cane Decaf
2025
Caramel, Cocoa Powder, Lime Zest, Nutty
1600 meters
N/A
70Kg W/GrainPro
USA - Charleston, SC - RPM
USA - New Jersey - CTI
This coffee comes to us through our partnership with Coffeefelipe and Invercafe Ltda., a Colombian company with more than 45 years of experience in the coffee sector and a leading dry mill and exporter based in Caldas. Known for its careful approach to lot preparation, Invercafe works with coffees sourced across producing regions such as Tolima, selecting and assembling lots that meet specific physical and cup quality standards before export and decaffeination. Long-standing relationships with suppliers allow the company to maintain consistency in profile throughout much of the year, while ongoing investments in sustainability, such as the use of solar energy in their agro-industrial processes, reflect a commitment to responsible production.
Tolima’s coffee landscape is largely composed of smallholder farmers cultivating coffee on family-managed farms at mid to high elevations. These producers deliver their coffees through established supply networks, where the lots are evaluated, milled, and prepared for export.
The coffee first undergoes a traditional Colombian washed process. After selective harvesting, cherries are pulped, mechanically demucilaged, and washed before being dried in mechanical silos to reach stable moisture levels. Once dried and milled at Invercafe, the green coffee is sent for Sugar Cane Decaf processing.
This decaffeination method uses ethyl acetate derived from fermented sugarcane to gently remove caffeine. The green coffee is first steamed to open its cellular structure, then repeatedly washed with naturally derived ethyl acetate to extract caffeine before being dried back to its original moisture level.
Because the coffee is fully washed prior to decaffeination, the cup structure remains stable. The result is a decaffeinated coffee that preserves balance and clarity in the cup while maintaining the physical consistency required for export and roasting.
The Colombian Department of Tolima is nested in the heart of Andean region in the center-west of the country. The department ranks first in Colombia in the production of rice and sesame. Farmers here also grow coffee, corn, bananas, sugarcane, and beans. Livestock, particularly cattle and pigs, is quite common in the northwest and center-east valleys along the Magdalena River and its basins. 32 of Tolima’s 47 municipalities are dedicated to coffee production.
Tolima’s capital city of Ibagué, also known as “Musical capital of Colombia and America” is surrounded by the mountains and enriched with water resources stretching along the Magdalena River Valley to the east of the Department. Tolima is traversed by highways and railroads, linking Ibagué with Bogotá, Armenia (Quindio), and Neiva (Huila).
The geographical location, topographic diversity, and range of altitudes make Tolima one of the most favorable and unique departments for coffee production, allowing for harvesting throughout the year. Coffee farms are scattered on the mountain ranges of Santa Marta, La Macarena, and the western slopes of the eastern Cordilleras. Farms here are predominantly smallholder owned, and the farmers have made concerted efforts in the last ten years to produce specialty coffee that reveals the full character of the region’s terroir. The organic approach to coffee cultivation in Tolima is well-known and highly demanded around the world. Certifications like Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, and Bird Friendly can be found throughout the region. Selective manual harvesting, attentive processing, and careful post-harvest sorting all contribute to the growing recognition of Tolima as a coffee producing region.
Tolima’s coffee sector has attracted numerous financial and educational resources over the past several years. State and private owned organizations have invested with social and economic programs throughout the region, strengthening the potential for sustainable coffee production and improving the livelihoods of thousands of families.
