Chapata - Colombia

Behind this exceptional cup is the Anserma cooperative - a community of over 2,000 farmers who put their heart into their work. Together they work the land in the Anserma, Risaralda, San José, Belalcázar and Viterbo regions. The cooperative was founded in 1967 and since then it has been working not only as a business partner but also to support the technical, economic and social development of its members. Coffee is part of everyday life here, a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. In addition to coffee trees, farmers here also grow bananas and sugar cane, thus ensuring a more stable income.

The dry processing of the coffee itself is very precise and rigorous. After harvesting, the cherries are delivered to a wet processing station where they are first sorted using an optical sorter that can handle up to 16 tonnes per hour. They are then immersed in water to remove defective pieces and then left to rest for 10-12 hours in green baskets. This is followed by drying in a mechanical silo - initially without movement so that the coffee does not lose its smoothness, and later with gradual stirring. The whole process takes approximately 100 hours. After drying, the coffee remains in parchment until export, which helps to preserve its freshness and complexity of flavours.