The finca has been in the hands of one family for 5 generations. The farm has always been managed in harmony with nature. The knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation. Currently, “Tio Carlos” (Uncle Carlos) runs the finca. He is on He grew up on the finca and has also learned a lot from the previous generation. He remembers his grandfather in particular with awe: "He is the wisest man I have ever met," says Carlos about his grandfather.
His philosophy is: "You have to understand the cycles. All of agriculture consists of cycles. If you understand the cycles, you can prevent problems like disease."
The cultivation method is based on one of these cycles. On the “La Mejorana” finca, the coffee is planted in an impressive forest of other trees. The many coffee plants stand in the shade of the “Nogales Cafeteros”, which are over 30 m high. The ground is covered by a thick green carpet. Weeds. A little surprising at first.
This is not an everyday occurrence on other fincas in the region. We asked ourselves the question: WHY?
There is a widespread belief that coffee plants must be kept free of other plants in order to maximize production, so that the other plants do not compete with the coffee plants for sunlight and nutrients in the soil.
For this reason, the field is often kept under control with weed killers for time reasons. Not so on the “La Mejorana” finca.
Back to the cycles: Tio Carlos is firmly convinced that his trees provide the coffee with nutrients and do not compete with them. The much larger trees have much deeper roots. They can bring up the nutrients hidden deep in the soil. When the leaves and branches fall from the trees, they are left lying there. They form a carpet of natural fertilizer, fresh nutrients for the coffee plants.
And practice proves him right. No fertilizer has been used here for years and yet the coffee plants are full of juice and fruit:
And the carpet of weeds also serves its purpose. It is carefully selected by hand to ensure that no harmful plants are mixed in.
And so the green carpet ensures that the floor is not directly exposed to sunlight.
Drying out of the soil is avoided and this allows the many microorganisms and insects to keep the soil healthy and alive.
From healthy soil, you can harvest healthy coffee cherries. The circle is complete.
The many tiny plants absorb nutrients from the top layer of soil. The coffee has its roots much further down.
No competition and a win-win situation for the entire ecosystem.
Anyone who puts so much effort into the cultivation, right down to the smallest details, doesn't want to risk the result when it comes to harvesting. That's why the coffee here is picked exclusively by hand.
The result:
Only the best and really ripe cherries are harvested.
Since all the cherries on each tree ripen at different rates over a longer period of time, this involves a lot of work. The trees are walked through every day to ensure that only the really ripe cherries are harvested. This happens countless times throughout the entire harvest period.
The fresh harvest is also prepared daily according to a well-kept family recipe, using the “washed process”.
The result is a high-quality green coffee with the typical Colombian fruity notes.
