In southern Colombia, just north of the border with Ecuador, the Andes Mountains divide into three parallel mountain chains known as the Cordilleras. Coffee in Huiila is grown on the slopes of these Cordilleras, split by the Magdalena River, which is the principal river of Colombia. This Bold profile is a collection from several smallholder farmers growing coffee around this prized region.

These small farms are tended by individual families with labor only very rarely being contracted out, which leads to more thorough and intensive management practices and great pride in the final product – which is, itself, an extension of the family.

Processing
After the red and ripe cherries are picked, they are usually floated in plastic tanks to remove any under-ripe cherries (under-ripe cherries will float, as they are less dense!). They are then pulped by passing them through a manual pulper at the family farm (usually located close to the main house). The waste from this process will be used later as a natural fertilizer for the coffee trees. Coffee is then fermented anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, depending on the weather, and then washed using cold, clean water.

Once this process is complete, many of the farmers sun dry their parchment on patios or on the roofs of their houses (elbas). Farmers in this part of Huila have designed a mechanism by which they can slide the roof with pulleys to cover the coffee in case of rain. Some farmers dry their coffee on parabolic beds under the sun. These parabolic beds, known locally as marquesinas – which are constructed a bit like ‘hoop house’ greenhouses, with airflow ensured through openings in both ends – both protect the parchment from rain and mist as it is dried and prevent condensation from dripping back on the drying beans.