Located in San Adolfo, a municipality in southern Colombia’s Huila department, the farm sprawls across six lush green hectares and is set at about 1400 metres.
The farm is managed by brothers Wilder and Nelson Laso. About 10 years ago, their father, who owned the farm for 40 years, went through major financial crisis due to the spread of roya, a fungal disease in coffee. At the time, Wilder was working in El Salvador as a genetics veterinarian but decided to return to help his father.
The coffee cherries are pulped and the coffee with mucilage goes to the fermentation tanks in which a culture medium is added, which contains CIRAD yeast. Starting from the coffee mucilage this process lasts 72 hours and over time, is stirred and more culture medium is added to keep the fermentation active. The coffee is dried on marquees as well as solar beds on top of the house, if the weather is good. Drying takes about three weeks.
The first thing Wilder and his family did was conduct a major soil analysis, finding the right varieties and controlling every step of the process. Now they use a combination of 70 percent organic and 30 percent chemical fertilizers. The family uses processes that consume minimal water, and deploys natural and activated carbon filters to clean residual water and return it to the earth. The family has its own cupping laboratory to ensure quality. Also, given his background, Wilder has access to excellent laboratories where the coffee, soil, and seeds can be analyzed to ensure the best selection.
