Colombia Magdalena — Sweet & Balanced Single Origin

Process: Washed

The Magdalena Farm

This producer group is part of the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Alto Occidente de Caldas which was established in 1964. The San Lorenzo indigenous group are based in the Rio Sucio municipality of Caldas where there are 11,500 inhabitants with 1,150 farmers growing and producing coffee within the 21 communities. This region until recently was heavily inhabited by the FARC, ELN, Paramilitary groups and guerrillas who looked to control this central corridor in Colombia.

Each farmer has approximately 0.5 Ha of land in which they have about 2500 coffee trees. During the harvest the families will work with their neighbours to select ripe cherry before de-pulping in micro-beneficios where they will then de-pulp and ferment the coffee in water for 16 -24 hours depending on the weather. The coffee is then washed and then put out to dry on small drying patios on the roofs of the houses where they will dry it for between 8 – 14 days depending on the weather. They then deliver it to the Cooperative where it is assessed and categorised before being allowed to rest and then milled for shipment

The Tolima, Colombia Region

The Tolima coffee region, nestled in the Andean mountains of central Colombia, is renowned for producing high-quality Arabica beans with a distinctive flavor profile marked by bright acidity, medium body, and sweet, exotic notes like stone fruit and berries. These characteristics are shaped by Tolima’s mountainous terrain, rich volcanic soil, and diverse microclimates. Farmers in 38 of its municipalities cultivate a wide range of varieties, including Castillo, Colombia, Typica, Bourbon, and Maracaturra. Historically, the region was heavily affected by the presence of FARC guerrilla forces, which limited access and development. However, following the 2016 peace agreement, Tolima has become significantly safer, enabling greater investment, tourism, and participation in specialty coffee markets. Ironically, the prolonged isolation preserved much of the land from agrochemical use, leaving the soil virtually untouched. Today, many smallholder farmers have embraced organic-certified cultivation, turning this once-overlooked region into a rising star in sustainable and exceptional coffee production.

Producers pick two dependable crops each year: the fly crop harvest (Oct-Jan) and the main crop (Apr-Jun). Cherries are hand-sorted, depulped the same day in backyard beneficios, wet-fermented 12 – 36 h, washed with spring water, and sun-dried to ≈11 % moisture on rooftop patios or parabolic beds.

The Cooperative aggregates small-holder parchment into fully traceable, Rainforest Alliance-certified Excelso lots and cups every batch for uniformity.