Small Producers of Inza
Full bodied, syrupy and rich with maple syrup sweetness, mandarin acidity and notes of chocolate, cherry and pink grapefruit.
The municipality of Inzá is located in the corner of the Department of Cauca, bordering with Tolima and Huila and looking out to the west over the Pacific Ocean. Situated on the “Macizo Colombiano” (the Colombian Plateau), this region has excellent growing conditions for growing high quality coffee, with high altitudes and rich volcanic soil. The plateau also has a very stable climate year round, thanks to its proximity to the equator and the surrounding mountains, which protect the coffee against the humidity of the Pacific and the trade winds from the South. This region is an important source of water and wildlife, in addition to being prime coffee growing land.
This coffee produced by 52 smallholder coffee producers from the Inzá region, who typically own less than 2 hectares of land, at altitudes ranging from 1,500m – 2000m above sea level. Given their small size, these producers are members of the the organization ASORCAFE (Asociación de Productores de Café del Oriente Caucano).
The association of coffee growers, ASORCAFE, was founded in 2004 by 10 coffee growers with an entrepreneurial spirit who were tired of private parchment buyers who were paying them below national prices. The region’s violent past, with a heavy presence of FARC guerrillas, had historically prevented the FNC (Colombia’s national coffee board) and specialty-focused exporters from establishing a presence in the region. In recent years, as violence has diminished, growers in the region have been able to seek increased access to markets for quality, and take advantage of the region’s wonderful coffee-growing conditions.
Today ASORCAFE is an incredibly enterprising, quality focused and innovative organisation that represents 450 producers from across the department, providing education, training and support and helping connect producers with specialty coffee buyers throughout the world. Their micro lot separation program has inspired many other producer organisations throughout the country. Every lot of coffee delivered to the cooperative is cupped and scored, and those scoring 85 points or above by the Association’s cupping lab in Pedregal are reserved for either speciality blends or single-producer microlots.
This specific lot was selected from 52 members of ASORCAFE who are located in the neighbouring sub-municipalities of Pedregal (70%) and San Antonio (30%). It is made up of several micro-lots that were delivered and cupped 85 points or above by the Association’s cupping lab in Pedregal. These stringent standards result in very limited quantities of this exceptional blend, which is made up of 70% Caturra and 30% Colombia varieties.
