COLOMBIA ORGANIC HUILA ASEPROPAZ

Here’s a coffee from Huila that crosses the line. It’s a bit confusing because Aipe, in the department of Huila, sits right on the border of Tolima not far from the Planadas growing region. And the producers for this particular lot are members of Asociación Ecologica Productora de Paz (ASEPROPAZ), which is located in Planadas. So don’t be surprised that this community blend has many hallmarks we come to expect from the Planadas area. Like the producers around Planadas, decades of armed conflict and coca leaf production kept most small producers pretty isolated and at high risk to violence. But as conflict has subsided in recent years, locally organized associations including ASEPROPAZ have taken the lead in creating market access for these producers. With 64 members, ASEPROPAZ has focused on certifications and training producers in best organic practices. The cooperative has also invested in basic infrastructure needs like road improvements and establishing a local warehouse. Producers typically cultivate coffee on just a few acres of land intercropped with shade trees, bananas, corn, beans, and sugarcane. They also carefully harvest and sort cherries before depulping, fermenting, washing, and drying the coffee using their own micro-mills. Traceability and quality control throughout the post harvest process is carried out with support from Sucafina, which also prepares the coffee for export.