Gladys Cruz

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.

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."