In Colombia the vast majority of coffee is cultivated, harvested and processed on small family owned farms. While these producers are their own architects, designing farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their environment, they also need strong alliances to bring their coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. To support this system of small farm production, Colombia established the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC) to organize and support a complex network of larger regional coffee cooperatives. These cooperatives provide producers with valuable logistical support like centralized warehouses to store dried parchment and dry mills where the coffee is prepared for export according to size. The Excelso grade is the designation for beans that will not pass through a screen opening below 14/64 of an inch. Excelso lots are often traceable to regions of Colombia, each with distinct harvest times, which provides for a constant supply of fresh Colombian Excelso throughout the calendar year.
