SANTANDER, COLUMBIA

About : Santander Coffee

This coffee comes from the family owned Hacienda La Pradera located in the Aratoca Municipality of the Santander region in Colombia. The estate is 100% Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified and the coffee is cultivated between 1700 and 1900 meters.

 THE PRODUCERS

 In the early 1970s Héctor Daza began the transformation of the family farm to specialise in arabica coffee production, planting timber and fruit trees such as bananas cassava alongside coffee to create a diverse shade canopy, maintain soil health and increase the bio-diversity of the estate. This began a tradition of lifelong commitment to environmentalism at La Pradera

 Four generations of the Daza Bautista family have directly involved in the production, processing and export of organic specialty coffee from the estate. After the challenging market of the 1980s Oscar Daza, third generation of the family, moved further into speciality coffee production and certification (organic, rainforest alliance and bird friendly)

 As well as traditionally washed coffee, the farm experiments honey process, anaerobic fermentation and single-varietal gesha microlots.

 THE REGION

 Hacienda La Pradera is located in Aratoca, in the department of Santander. The terroir is mountainous, with the department sitting in the Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes (Colombia’s Eastern mountain range). Currently Santander has around 42000 Ha of coffee, of which 90% is grown under shade.

The most famous natural landmark in the region is the Chicamocha Canyon. With a max depth of 2,000m (6,600ft) and a length of 141 miles, it is the 2nd largest canyon in the world. The canyon provides a unique terroir for the surrounding region, as well as stunning vistas for intrepid travellers.

TASTE NOTES  

Balanced and smooth with notes of orange and tangerine, caramel and sweet honey.