Finca La Palma y El Tucán is located in Colombia's Cundinamarca region, on the eastern range of the Colombian Andes. Though it is only about an hour and a half from Bogota, it features a range of micro-climates that allow for great biodiversity and unique ecosystems, with ideal conditions for specialty coffee growing.

In 2013 our friends Carlos, Elisa and Felipe, founders of La Palma y El Tucán, developed a plan to work with their neighbors to create a sustainable relationship model. They named the program Neighbors & Crops and have identified more than 200 coffee producers within a 10-kilometer radius to take part. La Palma y El Tucán buys the coffee cherries from these neighbors, provides training for exceptional harvesting, and experiments with different processing methods in search of the perfect cup.

The plan was to select and train specific pickers in high-quality coffee harvesting methods. They would then work with the neighbors to select, pick, and buy the cherry. These families are paid 50% more than the national average for their coffee cherry, as well as given additional coffee trees grown at the La Palma y El Tucán nursery.

From La Palma & El Tucán:

"Gladys Cruz is 56 years old and has been a coffee farmer for the last 6 years. Her original idea was to find a farm for retirement, but once she bought her plot of land and realized all the coffee trees it had she grew an interest in the crop. Thus she began to learn more about growing coffee and quickly became involved in the industry. Her farm, Villa Gladys is located in the San Cayetano Village and is roughly 1 hectare with 2200 coffee trees. When Gladys bought the farm she also decided to build several rooms in the house and nowadays she offers a renting opportunity for visitors.

"Doña Gladys lives by herself and she is proudly the only one in charge of the farm. During harvest, she hires employees to help her with some labors and unfortunately, this is where she has found some difficulties. As a consequence of inexperience and a lack of knowledge in the field, some of the workers tend to damage the crops when pruning and picking coffee. Our Neighbors & Crops program has been a great alternative by supporting her with our trained team of pickers. In the past, Doña Gladys sold her coffee to the Cooperative of Cachipay, a nearby town, but this is her 3rd year in the program and she tells us she is happy with the results she has seen thus far!"

About the Process:

"Through the Bio-Innovation process, La Palma & El Tucán honors the main principles of organic farming. They first capture and reproduce microorganisms found in their farm’s beautiful forests, to create their own fermentation substrate. Then, they mix this substrate with perfectly ripe coffee cherries, in a clay pot for 100 hours. This combination allows them to create a sustainable closed cycle. After the fermentation, they remove the leftovers and reuse them as compost."

Ethiopia

Gigesa

honeysuckle, apricot, lime creamsicle

alt: 1800-1950 MASL

Roast: light

region: Guji

process: Natural

varietal: Heirloom

Featured

EL SALVADOR

Los Planes

Mixed Berries , Fig Preserves , Chocolate Malt

Colombia

Campo Bello

Golden Kiwi | Dried Cranberry | Caramel Truffle

Colombia

Gladys Cruz

Elderflower Syrup , Raspberry Jam , Vanilla Crème

SINGLE ORIGIN & BLEND

Meet In The Middle