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If you love coffee and have been around for a while, you are sure to be familiar with this icon.
The fictional character known as Juan Valdez with his mule Conchita, traveling across the mountains of Colombia to spread and trade his beloved coffee beans—and making the high-quality and well-bodied Colombia coffee familiar across the United States.
Coffee is to Colombia what corn is to Nebraska. While producing approximately 1,785,744,000 pounds of coffee each year, Colombia comes in at third highest in the world for coffee production. However, nowadays it’s not only a nice-selling commodity—it’s a family thing.
Though the coffee plant is believed to have been introduced to Colombia through Jesuit missionaries in the 1700s, the first commercial production was noted in the 1800s in the eastern part of the country. From there the Arabica bean spread throughout the rest of Colombia, mostly by muleteers—hence the logo—and even more rapidly as their economy expanded.
In the early 1900s coffee production greatly increased due to large estate owners. However, these estates underwent crisis as they experienced war and a plummet in international coffee prices.
Fortunately for small coffee farmers, this tragedy reformed the nation’s coffee system. Emphasis was placed on rural farmers in the new model. Many families were very open to coffee producing as an income since the coffee plant allowed them to still grow their subsistence crops (food!) in tandem. Furthermore, since the crops supported each other by providing necessary nutrients, the resulting symbiotic relationship eliminated the need for previously used “slash and burn” methods, which had caused unproductive periods of time. Thus, the Arabica plant quickly spread as a source of income. Jumping ahead to the twenty-first century, coffee sustains over 500,000 families.
Another perk for these farmers? Their land is part of the Coffee Belt, which blesses the people of Colombia with a very ideal growing environment for Arabica coffee. Thanks to the Andes sprawling across their land, and with the climate giving way to year-long moderate temperatures (even way up in the mountains!), coffee is able to be grown at high altitudes, which naturally produces a higher quality bean. Rich soils with high organic content (especially due to volcanic activity) and a reliable rainfall also make this land ideal for coffee.
Not only does the growing environment give way to these flavorful, sought-after beans; the attentiveness that these small farms put into their harvests also contributes to their renown. In particular, the people of Colombia have made tradition of an arduous but perfecting method of readying the coffee berries for shipment. To remove the pulp around the beans, they primarily use a water-wash method with a sun-dried finish. This is a hypersensitive way of preparing the beans for coffee roasting and consumption; it eliminates any impurities, leaving the rich and uniform beans that Colombia is known for.
Here at Windy Prairie, we’ve selected our beans from small, family-owned farms in Planades, Tolima—a “department” of west Colombia. Located in the foothills of the Andes, this small and relatively new municipality (est. 1966) is a prime place to grow award-winning and organic beans. The warm days keep the plants growing while the cool nights ward off pesky bugs. The altitude (1,400–2,100 meters) is also a key factor for excellent flavor and quality, while shade and foliage provided by their young trees and staples that they grow alongside the coffee plants (such as bananas, corn, beans, and sugarcane) keep them healthy.
Mixing all these components together, our expertly roasted organic Colombia coffee comes to you with a medium body, low acidity, and a mild nutty flavor among hints of sweetness. It’s a neutral coffee that is great for beginners. For those of you looking for a beverage that is low in acid, or a coffee that will satisfy visitors of varying tastes, this is the coffee to brew. 😊
1 Dailycoffeenews.com