Shade 1

Our first South American offering comes to us from Colombia thanks to Switch Espresso in Christchurch. 

Switch espresso joined us most recently for our coffee advent calendar with an offering from Brazil, be sure to check out that bio here.

About this coffee: (Words and photos courtesy of Switch Espresso thanks to Opal Coffee)  

The South of Colombia has been a zone of internal conflict, civil wars, confrontationsbetween armed groups and the army. It is an isolated area of the country and with access to the sea through which most of the drug trafficking exits. A forgotten andabandoned area where sexism and domesticviolence can be a daily occurrence. Thesewomen decide to leave their jobs in illicit crops or abandon families or violence forces them to look for another land, where they can try to lead a normal life. Coffee has given these women the opportunity to find a life, a future, a relief for the needs and survival.

Cauca Department:

Cauca is a department in the southern area of Colombia.
It contains Andean Mountains in its East, along with Pacific access on its West Coast.

Along with Huila and Tolima, Cauca is part of what many consider to be the 3 main Specialty Coffee growing areas of Colombia Antioquia and Narino are also considered to be Departments with exceptional growing conditions.

The mix of altitude, soils, along with weather patterns ensure that Cauca provides great coffee all year round, with the main crop traditionally March to June whilst the fly is late in the year.

Cauca is also home to 42 Municipalities, including Timbio. It's Population is just under 1.5 million, land size just under 30 000km sq.

Along with coffee the area is known for other crops, such as sugar cane, maize, as well as livestock, forestry and fishing.

Growers: Women's Grower Association Timbio
Region: Timbio, Cauca
Elevation: 1800masl
Variety: Castillo & Tabi