Farallones LOS ALPES Excelso (Antioquia Single Estate)

Finca FARALLONES- LOS ALPES is a hidden treasure.

This special coffee is grown in the province of San Bernardo de los Farallones, near the town of Ciudad Bolivar, a very fertile mountainous region in the South West part of Antioquia.

FINCA LOS ALPES, belongs to the Arboleda family, third generation coffee growers from this traditional coffee region. The farm is 90 hectares in size, out of which 58 are planted in coffee, 5 are used for cattle, and the balance is a precious forest reserve. Most of the coffee is shade grown under canopy of guamo and fruit trees. The farm neighbors with the Farallones mountains which separate Antioquia from the heavy rainforest  of Choco, creating an exotic and favorable microclimate with 3,000 mm of rain.

The farm is planted in Caturra variety, at 1,750-1,800 meters. The Arboleda family follows a traditional philosophy to produce the finest coffee in harmony with the earth’s natural resources. Natural spring water is derived from the forest reserve, home of beautiful native birds, and the most extensive collection of exotic flowers. The farm produces its own corn, and vegetables. The corn is planted among some of the rows of coffee plants, to support the sustainability of the farm. The plantation is mostly fertilized by compost, prepared with pulp, chicken feed and manure. The coffee is exposed to good amount of sunlight, even though most of it is shade grown under nogales, oak and some native wood trees. The farm employs 30 permanent workers and during harvest periods a total of 100 pickers climb the steep slopes to harvest the ripe cherries. The workers are paid above the average wage. The yields of this farm surpass the national averages: 8,500 trees/hectare. This translates into additional income for the pickers who come every day from Ciudad Bolivar. Erosion control is another priority for this farm. This farm is truly an example of sustainable farming at its best.

The total production of FARALLONES- LOS APES , may be up to 2000 bags.

The main harvest starts in October through January. A small fly-crop is harvested during the months of March through September. The coffee is depulped and fermented in the farm, using modern eco-friendly equipment to remove the muscilage form the cherries, minimizing the usage of water. After the parchment is washed it is carefully set on patios for drying. The parchment is finally dried by mechanical vertical silos, where it is monitored and turned until it reaches an ideal moisture content between 11% and 11.5%.