El Guayacan - Colombia

Miriam Quesada Enciso is a second-generation coffee producer. She inherited Finca El Guayacan from her ex-husband when they split their land. She has been cultivating coffee on the farm since 2005. Today, Miriam and her current husband, Libardo, manage Finca El Guayacan using a focus on high-quality cultivation and processing.

The volcanic loam soil is nutrient-rich and excellent for growing coffee. In addition to coffee, Miriam and Libardo also cultivate plantain and yucca.

Miriam and Libardo are working on improving harvesting methods and ensuring the laborers pick only ripe, red cherry. They’re using incentives like better prices and free meals to entice good workers and reward their efforts.

Once coffee is harvested, they float cherry and remove any lightweights. The good quality cherry is then placed in sealed bags and fermented for 4 days. Following fermentation, they deliver cherry to a separate drying facility where it dries for approximately 15 days. Cherry is turned frequently to ensure even drying.