At the highest point of El Pital, Huila, Maria Damaris Medina and her husband Wilson Villaquira grow coffee on their farm Santa Elena. Both grew up farming coffee, learning from their parents before them, and began their careers with a tiny plot of less than 1 hectare. Santa Elena now occupies 7 hectares, and the pair have a sharp focus on improving quality as opposed to quantity. They recently replaced older Caturra trees with the ever popular Pink Bourbon, with the intention of elevating the standards of their coffees. Maria described this to our import partners, Nordic Approach; ‘We strive to produce the finest coffee; this is what we have fought for’.
Maria and Wilson are members of the cooperative Coocentral, who operate across Central Huila. Coocentral has nearly 4000 members, with around half actively contributing coffee to reception points in local villages. Their primary focus is to enhance production standards and the livelihoods of the farmers, through technical support, ongoing guidance and training for growers, alongside investment in social programmes. Members receive 100% of the premium paid above the market purchasing prices. This stunning coffee is a real testament to the care and expertise taken to produce this Pink Bourbon - clean, juicy and complex.
Seasonal buying is about seeing coffee as a crop not a commodity, buying in harmony with the growing seasons to enjoy coffee at its best. This kind of buying has always been the backbone of our business and it’s something we’ve improved and refined every year.
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