Luz Helena Salazar — Colombia / Natural Process

Luz Helena Salazar (Colombia)

Relation
We have sourced this coffee with the help of Cofinet, an importing partner we work with specifically for Colombian microlots. Cofinet is a family business that has been exporting Colombian coffee since 2015, with this particular coffee coming from a sole female producer, Luz Helena Salazar, who is also the mother of Cofinet’s co-founders, Carlos and Felipe.

Luz Helena owns the Maracay farm, where this coffee comes from, in her native region of Quindio, and has been producing coffee for over 20 years, the last several of which have been focused on specialty.

Project
Being a Colombian-based company, Cofinet is involved in many different initiatives in order to support both the industry and environment of coffee producers in their country.

Agroforestry is a key initiative, for which Cofinet owns a nursery dedicated to growing native trees, which are then given freely to producers to plant amongst their coffee trees, in order to provide shade, nutrient distribution, and shelter for birds who in turn eat the insects.

Cofinet also provides producer internships in order to share their own expertise with their producer-partners. These internships take place first at Cofinet’s own washing station, before moving to the producer’s farms, with the resultant lots being bought by Cofinet no matter the result, in order to minimise risk for the producers during this learning period.

Coffee
This coffee is a Caturra, a mutation of Red Bourbon which is popular in Colombia due to its high yields and disease resistance. Grown in volcanic soil at 1400 m.a.s.l, the coffee is picked at optimal ripeness before being hand sorted and dried on elevated beds in a stable environment at Cofinet’s La Pradera washing station.

At first this coffee smells and tastes like an exceptional example of a classic Colombian natural, full of funky tropical fruits and dark chocolate. What follows is what makes it special: a juicy acidity and profound mouthfeel, offering depth, texture and notes of plum and strawberry. The final product is an exceptionally clean and fruity coffee, and one of the most well balanced Colombian naturals we have ever tasted.

Photo
Luz Helena Salazar, accompanied by her sons Carlos and Felipe (co-founders of Cofinet), at La Pradera Washing Station. Photo by Cofinet, shared with permission.