Farm info

The Tropico Sur group consists of 35 producers, 7 of whom contributed coffee to this lot. The farms are concentrated in Alto Don Domingo, Taminango, Nariño. Their average farm size is between one and four hectares. The Taminango zone is influenced by the currents from Valle de Patia and is located three hours from the city of Pasto along the Pasto-Popayán highway.

The Tropico Sur producers’ farms are between 1700-2000 meters above sea level with an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and 844 mm of annual rainfall. In addition to coffee, producers grow corn, bananas, beans, and onions. Coffee receives the traditional semiannual fertilization: once before trees flower and the once after cherries are harvested.

Coffee is fermented for 36 hours after depulping in a traditional concrete fermentation tank. It is washed three times before being moved to a parabolic solar dryer for 12-16 days.

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 geography and proximity to coastal and land borders have historically transformed it into 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.