Early Coffee Harvest in Nariño Colombia

Nariño is the southernmost coffee growing area in Colombia that we buy from, and harvest comes later as a result.

Harvest in Nariño comes at a time that is somewhat in between the middle and main harvests of our other primary sources of Colombian coffee, namely Urrao and Caicedo in the north, and Inzá and La Plata down south. Logistically, this works out great for us as we’re able to bring in fresh coffee from Nariño when the other regions are producing less coffee.

But that reason alone sells Nariño’s importance to us short, as we’ve learned that it is one of the more diverse Colombian growing regions in terms of micro-climates, high altitudes, and variety of flavor profiles.

What started as a captioned photo from my phone, quickly turned into more of a “travelogue” about my trip to Nariño this past week. Here’s a small selection of iPhone photos from my trip, and some of my notes from the visits I made to a few of the growing areas.

Harvest period and payments

The harvest period runs from roughly May until early September. During this time farmers in coffee communities deliver their their harvested coffee in parchment to associations and private buyers, and are paid a price per kilogram for their coffee (this is different than most of Colombia, where parchment coffee is traded by the “carga”, which is a 125 kg bag).

Like all of Colombia, the base price is a standard rate set by the Federación de Nacional de Cafeteros (“FNC”), the government agency who regulate the Colombian coffee trade. “Premium” payments are often tacked on by local buyers to help incentivize farmers to sell to them. Those premiums can be rather handsome depending on the climate in the local market, or when large multi-nationals need to fill contracts.

Daily Coffee Prices in Colombia
The daily coffee prices posted outside one of the many coffee buying warehouses in Buesaco town

For the projects we’re a part of, the farmers first receive an initial base payment for their coffee, which is a little above the FNC price. The coffee is then cup tested, and separated by quality, and each quality tier has an added payment premium attached to it that is paid directly to the farmer.

Aponte, Coffee from the Clouds

The main areas we are buying from right now are Buesaco, and Aponte, home to some of the highest altitude farms we buy from, many reaching over 2000 meters above sea level. High altitudes and cooler climates tend to slow plant growth, and that slower rate of maturation helps with things like seed density, and a higher potential for flavor characteristics like acidity and sweetness. Of course, everything has its limit, and too high, or too cold, can lead to stress and low production. The highest farms we see are around 2200 meters.

cupping table of Alianza coffee association
At the cupping table of Alianza coffee association in Buesaco town – breathtaking view of the Western valley.

Aponte is located in Corregemiento Tablón de Gomez, and is an indigenous reservation area that is geographically part of Colombia, but functions autonomously under its own local government.

The people of Aponte are of Inga descent, a pre-Colombian ethnic group related to the Incas who have inhabited this part of Colombia for more than 500 years. There are about 5,000 Inga people living in Aponte, and most are speak their native tongue of Inga Kichwa and Spanish.

Aponte is located in a “páramo” ecosystem, where converging weather systems create a climate of constant moisture in the form of misty fogs and rains. As we approached from the sunny lowlands, it’s easy to spot, as the entire hillside was blanketed in a haze of mist and rain.

Many fault lines pass through the jutting hillside, one of which runs straight through the middle of town, and is slowly separating, crumbling the town’s buildings in its path. The real structural damage started about 3 years ago, and has slowly moved people and buildings to safer parts of region.

Buildings in Aponte's town square
Buildings in Aponte’s town square are crumbling as a fault that runs through town slowly moves apart. Several homes have been destroyed, and all in the path of the fault line are relocating to the outer edges of town.

We first learned of Aponte on a sourcing trip in 2017 after cupping a few honey processed lots from the region (we blended them with honeys from Buesaco and sold under the name “Honey Process Buesaco”). It turns out that many producers employ the honey method, which is unique to see in Colombia.

I don’t generally think of a cool and damp climate as being ideal for producing honeys, as they already take so much longer to dry than fully washed coffees. But it works in Aponte, and is another example of a local coffee practice going against conventional wisdom. Part of the reason may lie in the near constant wind, which helps circulate air in the mostly-enclosed drying rooms you typically see at the farms.

Abraham's honey processing Aponte Tolima
Leonardo Henao (left) and Fidenci Martinez (right) talk about Fidenci’s honey processing. We selected two really nice lots of Fidenci and his brother Emilio Chasoiy’s coffees, and got to tour his farm in Paramo, Aponte.

The remoteness of this region, as well as its proximity to the Pacific, has also attracted narco traffickers and guerrilla groups who try and coerce residents into planting poppy fields in order to supply the raw product for opium and heroin. Their presence made it difficult, if not impossible, to attract buyers for coffee and other crops. Without a market, farmers are left with no outlet for their legitimate crops and are more inclined to meet the poppy demand of narcos.

A view of Aponte from across the valley.

In the last two decades there’s been an effort to rid this region of the armed conflict and drug trade, with the Colombian government providing support. But the absence has also created a vacuum that is filled by other guerrilla and paramilitary groups, fighting to create strongholds in mountain areas near Aponte, as well as in some of the lowland regions along drug routes leading to the coast where coca production has ballooned to 500,000 hectares.

Being so far south in the country has not helped to facilitate peace in those specific areas, as the government are slow to send military force and other aid to the region. Most of the coffee areas we buy from are not along these routes, and relatively safe from getting caught up in the violence.

A few new shrubs from the nursery waiting to be planted in the field. Aponte, Nariño.

Incoming Coffee on the Horizon

It’s still pretty early in the harvest season, yet I was still able to cup 100+ really nice samples of coffee between the two associations in Nariño that I visited that total around 150 bags of coffee. In addition to this, we approved another 125 bags or so between Inzá, Cauca and Caicedo, Antioquia.

Looking over our current Colombia offers, we’re down to less than 75 bags of coffee, so this is a much needed trip to replenish our dwindling stock. My fingers are crossed for finalizing this container by middle of July, having it on the water before the end of the month, which puts it in Oakland around middle of August. Check back for updates as we move to get this shipment on the water.

Here are a few more phone photos from the trip, and I’ll come back and update with a photo set from my camera once I’m back in the states. -Dan

“El Paramó Disco Teca” in Paramó, the town next to Aponte
Iglesia Nuestra Señora De Las Mercedez, the cathedral in the town center of Tablon de Gómez
Iglesia Nuestra Señora De Las Mercedez, the cathedral in the town center of Tablon de Gómez
Shot from the bumper of a Land Cruiser that's perhaps as beautiful as the canyon beyond!
Shot from the bumper of a Land Cruiser that’s perhaps as beautiful as the canyon beyond!
Abraham's guard goose is no joke. Seriously, KEEP OUT!
Abraham’s guard goose is no joke. Seriously, KEEP OUT!
So many beautiful shots of Rio Juanambú. We followed it for much of the trip as it winds through the valleys below the three coffee areas we're buying from.
So many beautiful shots of Rio Juanambú. We followed it for much of the trip as it winds through the valleys below the three coffee areas we’re buying from.
Heard a rustling under some jute bags and a pile of sticks, and out came this cute puppers!
Heard a rustling under some jute bags and a pile of sticks, and out came this cute puppers!
Goal! Colombia International match vs. Senegal and guess who scored?
Depulping coffee with a hand-crank machine in Buesaco town.

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