We have been buying coffee from La Piragua for six years now and selected this lot alongside the coffees from our competition in Huila last year. Alexander Vargas Osorio started working in coffee at a very young age. He was taken in by Octavio Rueda from El Mirador and given the opportunity to learn coffee growing and processing and earn an income along the way. Alexander then left Octavio's farm when he was eighteen and worked for his in-laws for a few years before buying La Piragua. Octavio continues to be his coffee mentor and is now godfather to one of his sons. In the last year, Alexander has been updating and extending his coffee drying area and system. Traditionally in this area, coffee is dried under poly-tunnels which whilst protecting the coffee from rain can unfortunately sometimes cause the coffee to over-dry. Last year, Alexander experimented with drying tables and this year he has extended these upwards. When coffee first comes to the drying tables from the washing tanks it is put onto the first level and as it dries and has lost a lot of moisture and won't drip onto the coffee below, it is moved up to the next table above. The drying tables ensure good ventilation around the coffee and a steady drying rate; it is believed this helps to keep the sweetness in the coffee.

Varietal: Caturra
Region: Vereda Los Olivos, Huila

Finca La Piragua

We source and roast coffee from single farms, estates and cooperatives. When we taste a coffee that we like, we want to know where it comes from and who grows, picks and processes it. We travel extensively throughout the year, visiting the producers and cooperatives with whom we currently work and looking for interesting varietals of coffee and new farms from which to buy. During these visits we talk to farmers and cooperative members, learning more about the coffee they grow and process and the challenges that they face. We then look to establish a relationship with the grower and exporter of that coffee. We believe that where such a relationship exists, quality, quantity and price requirements can be discussed in an open and equal way. We see this as sustainable, fair and equal trade.

Finca La Piragua

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Finca La Piragua