CURSE OF THE SERPENT, Colombia

Mulberry, Honeysuckle, Orange Cake

The town of Buesaco lies on a ridge high in the Andes mountains of the Nariño department. The Cooperativa de Cafés Especiales de Nariño has its offices, cupping lab, and warehouses there, where the co-op collects coffees from smallholders whose farms are tucked in the slopes surrounding the town.

Nariño’s particular geography and proximity to coastal and land borders have historically transformed it into corridor for illicit trade routes, resulting in unwarranted violence against residents of remote mountain farms. Today, thanks to the particularly resilient and fearless spirit of Nariño’s farmers, the small region is a respected nucleus of coffee innovation.

The co-op cups coffees throughout harvest delivery to build lots that are uniform and consistent in bean size and cup profile. The Buesaco Washed lot is clean and balanced. Producers fully wash the coffee on their respective properties and deliver the coffee in parchment. Coop Especiales has a regional reputation for quality and for compensating producers according to it.  The co-op employs and trains many of Buesaco’s young adults in its facilities, providing a meaningful source of local employment and on-the-job education. 

This coffee in particular is composed by 15 growers that grow coffee above 1,800 MASL, and only lots scoring 85+.