El Bombo, Colombia

This lot was produced by 15 female members of Asobombo who live and farm in Huila. They are Organic certified and dedicated to producing high-quality specialty coffees through careful cultivation and processing. Grupo Asociativo El Bombo Pitalito Inza, was founded by Luis Alfredo Diaz to increase market access and attain fair, sustainable prices for their coffee. Today, more than 80 members are Organic certified and sell their coffees with Asobombo to garner higher prices for their hard work. They continue to invest the premiums from their coffee into improving their farm, processing infrastructure and quality.

In Pitalito, farms tend to be slightly larger than other regions of Colombia. Most farms here are between 3 and 5 hectares, compared to 1 to 3 hectares in other regions. Most of the families living in Pitalito today immigrated from Nariño in the 19th and 20th centuries. Nariño used to be much more densely populated than Huila, but many people migrated to Pitalito in search of affordable, fertile land. In addition to coffee, many producers in Pitalito also grow sugarcane. Asobombo helped member communities build mills where farmers can process sugarcane into panela, a typical raw sugarcane product that is common in rural Colombia.

The women contributing to this lot and their families selectively handpick ripe, red cherry and process it on their farms. They pulp cherry on small handcrank pulpers and ferment it in tanks for 12 to 36 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and laid in parabolic beds, marquesinas or patios to dry. They rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying.