Colombia is such a surprising and wonderful country that in unimaginable corners we can find great examples of our traditions and the flavor that characterizes us and that we love so much. In a department with the size, landscapes, and geographical characteristics of Cauca, it is inevitable, and above all, natural that this is an ideal place to discover the flavor of our Colombian coffee.
Discover Cauca
Cauca is a department of almost 1.5 million inhabitants, spread across 42 municipalities and an area of ββalmost 30,000 km2. The department borders Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Huila, CaquetΓ‘, Putumayo, and NariΓ±o, forming the Andean and Pacific regions. Its average altitude is around 1,700 meters above sea level and its highest point is 5,364 meters above sea level. This altitude is reached at Nevado del Huila, a mountain it shares with the department. Due to its geographical position, Cauca is a department with important national parks, such as Munchique National Park located in the western mountain range; PuracΓ© National Park located in the central mountain range; and, in the Pacific Ocean, we find the impressive Gorgona Island.
Among the region's most important economic activities are livestock farming, mining, and agriculture, with the cultivation of fique, sugarcane and panela, potatoes, corn, blackberries, and, of particular interest to us, coffee.
Cauca coffee
As we mentioned, this department is heavily supported by agricultural activities, and coffee stands out among them. It boasts more than 90,000 hectares of land cultivated in 32 of the 42 municipalities. A total of 114,240 coffee farms are owned by approximately 90,000 coffee growers in the department. Of these, 99% are considered small producers, meaning they cultivate less than 5 hectares, and approximately 27,000 of them are part of sustainable certification systems.
When a place combines climate, topography, mountain ranges, and people who share tradition and passion for coffee, a perfect synergy is created to bring the highest quality coffee to our cups. The department of Cauca is the 4th in the country in terms of production Here we can find Arabica coffee varieties such as del Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, TΓpica, BorbΓ³n, and TabΓ. Since 2011, the department has held its "DenominaciΓ³n de Origen" (Designation of Origin) status for its quality, recognizing its cup as a coffee with a very strong, caramelized aroma and fragrance, with high acidity and a medium body, as well as a balanced impression of cleanliness and smoothness that, when sipped, combine with sweet and floral notes.
We can find 4 coffee-growing subregions in the department
Center: where we find PopayΓ‘n coffee, this region is home to almost half of the coffee growers in 11 municipalities at an average altitude of 1,700 meters above sea level, with crops grown on soil derived from volcanic ash.
North: Known as the Coffee with Roots region, this area is home to 17,000 coffee-growing families, mostly from Afro-Colombian, Nasa, and mestizo communities. This area boasts such a privileged location that its climate contrasts between cool temperatures and warm winds blowing from the Cauca River Valley.
South: CafΓ© del Macizo is a coffee grown by 22,000 families in 12 municipalities. These Yanacona peasant and Indigenous families, following sustainable principles, care for the abundance of water, as this region of the country is the source of our main rivers: the Cauca, the Magdalena, and the CaquetΓ‘. Its topography and altitude contrast with the temperatures, and when these factors combine, we discover a cup of coffee with special characteristics reflected in its fragrance, aroma, and sweetness.
Eastern Region: Tierradentro Coffee, a coffee grown by 8,500 families, both PaΓ©ces and peasants, spread across just two municipalities in the heart of the central mountain range, where the soils have been formed by large volcanoes.
A cup in the shape of a woman
In Cauca, not only the foothills of the mountain ranges or the curves of the cup stand out; women are also the emblem of the region's bravery and strength, and with their strength, 31,000 of them have found a new passion in coffee. Many of them have discovered it as a way out of the violence they experienced, which left them as heads of households. They are in charge of cultivating around 26,000 hectares and are associated with 11 different women's coffee-growing organizations.
The coffee of the mountain ranges
In a place where the most majestic of our mountains are found, a place where the country's main water tributaries originate and where the traditions of our indigenous peoples are preserved, it is impossible not to also find quality and tasteful coffee, but above all, a coffee that will surprise us with the power of the volcano and the traditions of our ancestral peoples.