COLOMBIA - CASTILLO - NATURAL

This one is a special one for us at Two Words. Back in September 2024 we were lucky enough to visit Jairo Lopez’ farm in Quindio, Colombia!

The family have been cultivating coffee at Finca Puerto Alegre for over 3 generations. In 2014, Jairo and siblings began focussing their efforts on producing specialty coffees, later joined by several of their own children.

Finca Puerto Alegre is divided into parcels in the mountains. Their main plot where their mill, lab and house sits is in the foothills and has a stream passing through, truly beautiful and meticulously well kept. Several hectares of Java variety coffee are planted here. Further up the mountain, the Castillo, Moka and Geisha varieties each have their own designated plots. The nursery is also located among these higher plots.

Coffee at Puerto Alegre is shade grown and has been since Jairo’s father, Don Moises, made the decision to maintain his shade cover in the 1970s, when many other producers were transitioning to full sun exposure. Although full sun generates higher yields, Don Moises valued sustainability and wanted to limit environmental damage by the use of pesticides and fertilizers for higher yields.

We noticed, when with Jairo and the team, their careful attention to both farming and processing. Jairo was trained as a civil engineer and applied his knowledge to improving processing methods on the farm. It was inspiring to hear Jairo talk about this in their lab! He says that by recording fermentation information such as times and pH levels at different stages means they can consistently process great coffee.

This lot has been handpicked at peak ripeness before resting overnight. After which it is laid on raised beds to dry for approximately 25 days.

The trip was very informative to me, having never visited a coffee farm before. Also the hospitality shown by the Colombians we met along the way was incredible, it felt really special to be shown their culture and share food, drinks and stories together. Hopefully the first of many trips to see where our coffees come from.