South American coffee holds an important position in the global coffee market and is a major region for global coffee production, producing more than half of the world's coffee each year. Among them, Brazil, the world's largest coffee producer, and Colombia, the world's third-largest coffee producer, are both in South America, though the two countries have different cultivation models. Because the hills in southern Brazil are relatively flat, large-scale plantations can be established there, but because Colombia is mountainous, small coffee farms predominate.

In Colombia, coffee is mainly grown in the western Andes mountain range. The Andes are mainly divided into the Eastern, Central and Western Cordilleras, with an average altitude above 3000 m, and there are also many volcanoes. Along with the high altitude and geographical environment, the entire mountain range has diverse microclimates, and these climates run through multiple coffee-producing regions in Colombia, thus shaping the unique flavors of the coffee.

Therefore Colombia has 15 coffee-producing regions, with the main ones being Cauca, Santander, Antioquia, Narino, Tolima, and Huila.

Among these coffee-producing regions there are many well-known coffee estates, such as El Diviso in the well-known Huila region, La Roca in the Tolima region, and La Esperanza in the Cauca region, among others, but when speaking of one with a long coffee history, one cannot fail to mention El Obraje.

El Obraje is an estate owned by the Guerrero family and is currently managed by Pablo Andres Guerrero. El Obraje is located in the town of Tangua in southern Narino province. The estate was originally established and became known for growing wheat and various other grains, but later the government began importing grain, so the estate began to switch to growing other crops such as fruit, but this also did not develop well. It was not until 1999 that the government began vigorously promoting coffee cultivation, so El Obraje began investing in coffee cultivation in the early 2000s, but at that time Narino province was not a traditional coffee-growing area, and El Obraje can be said to be a pioneer of the Narino region.

Among the many coffee regions of Colombia, the best known is the Huila region, which is home to Colombia's highest volcano, the Huila Volcano, and lies in the valley between the Eastern and Central Cordilleras, protected by the canyon, giving it a mild climate and making it an ideal area for growing coffee. Among the FrontStreet Coffee house-blend series is also a coffee from Huila, this renowned Colombian region; it uses the Caturra variety and the washed process, and when brewed it has black chocolate, nut and caramel flavors, with a distinct sweet aftertaste, an overall well-balanced cup, and a soft fruity acidity when cool.

In recent years, other Colombian regions have gradually emerged, such as the Narino region where Finca Obraje is located, also known as Nariño, on the southwestern coast of Colombia near Ecuador, with many rivers and lakes, and nearby the two major volcanoes Cumbal and Galeras; the town of Tangua where Finca Obraje is located sits at the foot of Galeras, and volcanic ash provides fertile soil. It is also close to the equator, with large day-night temperature differences and moderate rainfall, creating an excellent environment for producing high-quality coffee, so coffees from the Narino region are known for their complex flavor layers and floral aromas.

However, at first Finca Obraje grew coffee only for quantity, and it was not until 2010 that it began to focus on coffee quality, introducing varieties such as Geisha for planting and gradually building its own processing plant; today Finca Obraje has become a benchmark for high-quality coffee growing in the Narino area. At present the estate mainly grows Geisha and Caturra, and has also set aside a plot as an experimental plot for new varieties such as Sidra.

Later it began entering local Colombian competitions and won awards several times; in the 2020 Cup of Excellence COE competition, and in 2021 it even won the COE championship with a washed Geisha. Later it also opened its own coffee shop Obraje Café Especial, and also established partnerships with cooperatives in the Narino area to help other coffee growers, aiming to enable them to export coffee and to supply high-quality coffee to domestic and international markets.

For more information on coffee origins, please scan the QR code to follow: Kaping

Long-press the QR code to follow: