With nearly 540,000 coffee producers in Colombia, a significant portion of them are smallholder producers, growing coffee on plots of land smaller than 5 hectares. With the wide range of microclimates in the country, Colombia is harvesting coffee year-round depending on the region, the seasons and altitude.

The producer behind this lot, Raul Hector, leads a group of producers in the San Francisco Alto sub-municipality of La Plata, Huila. At the highest reaches of this area sits El Guayabo, his farm, at 2,000 meters above sea level.

Currently, Raul lives on his beautiful farm with his wife, two sons, and one daughter – all of whom lend their support to the coffee farm. Raul, now grows only specialty-grade coffee, earning a profitable income for his family.

After being evenly hand-picked, the cherries of this lot are de-pulped to remove the external fruit. Next, the freshly cleaned coffee is fermented without water initiate the breakdown of the exterior mucilage. This lasts for 48 hours, after which, the coffee is spread out evenly on raised beds to dry in the open sun until the ideal moisture content is reached. Lastly, the coffee is transported to the dry mill to be hulled and prepared for export.