Story
Francy and her four sisters grew up helping their parents on the coffee farm, which inspired her to specialize in agronomy to support and manage the family business. She completed her university studies through an online program while working on the farm to finance her education. After graduating in 2019, she began to work as a field assistant for the FNC in her hometown of Arboleda, Nariño. She also gained experience in sensory development by working in a private export laboratory in Buesaco.
Region
Nariño, located in the Andes mountain range, is a mountainous department with diverse landscapes, ranging from the high Andean plateaus to tropical forests and Pacific Ocean beaches. Its volcanic soils, rich in minerals from the eruptions of the Galeras volcano, are essential to the exceptional quality of the coffee grown in the region. Today, Nariño coffee is not only a local economic pillar but also a key player in the global reputation of Colombian coffee.
Variety
A natural mutation of the Bourbon variety discovered in Brazil, Caturra is a dwarf variety that offers good yields and excellent cup quality. It is often associated with a bright acidity, a beautiful sweetness, and fruity or floral notes.
The Colombia variety is the result of a deliberate cross-breeding of Caturra. Selectively bred to resist coffee leaf rust, it generally produces balanced, sweet, and approachable coffees, featuring notes of red berries, citrus, or caramel, depending on the terroir.
Process
The production of this coffee is based on a late harvest, achieved by allowing the cherries to reach the full end of their ripening cycle, approximately 25 days, until the drupe reaches an intense red color. After harvesting, the cherries are kept for about 70 hours in crates or bags, in a clean and cool environment. A flotation sorting is then carried out to remove impurities, before transferring the lot to tanks for oxidation. A second, waterless fermentation follows, lasting 2 to 3 days depending on temperature and the fruit’s Brix levels. When the beans reach 10° Brix, the drying phase begins. For the natural process, the coffee is first dried under tarps at the farm for 6 days, then moved to a dryer for 20 to 25 days until it reaches 14% moisture. It is subsequently refined under tarps in the sun for only 4 to 6 hours per day, and finally stored in Latinatech bags at 10–11% moisture.
