Colombia
Nariño
Smallholders' Producers
Smallholders' farms
Caturra, Castillo
Washed
2024 - 2025
Cocoa Powder, Fresh bread, Herb-like, Nut
2.300 meters
N/A
70Kg W/GrainPro
USA - Oakland, CA - Annex - CTI
The Blend Washed Yacuanquer is sourced from smallholder farms in the Andean region of Nariño, Colombia, where plots rarely exceed 5 hectares. Each producer, including Diego Albeiro Almeida, Libardo Muñoz, and Luis Alejandro Erazo, brings a deep commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, and the continuous improvement of agricultural practices, resulting in coffees with diverse and distinctive cup profiles. Yacuanquer is located at approximately 2,100 meters above sea level, in an area known for its volcanic soils rich in organic matter, temperate-humid climate, and significant diurnal temperature variation. These conditions promote the development of sugars in the beans, producing coffees with bright acidity, balanced body, and complex sensory characteristics.
The farms focus on producing high-quality microlots with full traceability, ensuring that each lot reflects the origin, the family legacy, and the meticulous work that goes into every step of cultivation and processing. The blend represents the careful collaboration of multiple producers, each contributing their own expertise and unique micro-terroir, highlighting the richness of Yacuanquer’s coffee-growing tradition. Every cherry is harvested at its optimal ripeness, processed with attention to detail, and managed to preserve its distinctive flavors, making this blend a true expression of Nariño’s Andean coffee landscape This coffee is processed using a meticulous multi-step method designed to highlight its unique flavors. Cherries are handpicked at optimal ripeness, then disinfected and sorted using a flotation system to remove lower-density cherries. The first stage of fermentation takes place in completely sealed plastic bags, free of oxygen and light, for 72 hours while still in the cherry.
Next, the cherries are pulped mechanically, removing the mucilage without water. The second stage of fermentation occurs in the remaining dry mucilage, in concrete tanks, for 48 hours. After fermentation, the coffee undergoes a single washing with potable water, and is then dried on solar patios for up to 20 days, depending on climatic conditions. This careful, multi-step process ensures clarity, balanced acidity, and a distinctive cup profile that reflects both the care of the producers and the terroir of the region.
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.
