Of the many farms in the region of Quidío, Colombia, Finca Maracay does not have the highest elevation nor the most ideal terroir for growing high quality coffee. What it does have is a team of specialists, led by Luz Helena Salazar, who have learned how to coax the best from their coffee trees through years of close attention to the particular needs of this plot of land.

Luz Helena began her coffee journey more than twenty years ago, after listening to her husband, Jairo Arcila, as he spoke about his daily challenges as a coffee farmer and dry mill manager. She felt that the farm had a capacity for something much better than the commercial coffee it was producing at that time, and set herself to overhauling their farm management in order to improve the cup quality and health of the trees. Along the way, she also took a meticulous approach to processing, something that her two sons, Carlos and Felipe, have expanded upon with their own coffee business, Cofinet, who we sourced this lot from.

Our Head Roaster and Head of Coffee joined Luz Helena for a tour of the farm back in November 2022, an amazing opportunity to hear from her about how working with coffee has changed not only her own life but that of her sons, friends, and neighbours. Strolling through the farm, she noted the health of certain trees and stopped to point out others which may need extra attention – and we’re sure she went straight after to her team with the locations of each one!

Huge thanks to Cofinet, and especially to Luz Helena herself, for the chance to explore such a beautiful farm, led by such an inspiring woman.

  Caravan Coffee Roasters are proud members of 1% for the Planet. For more information please visit https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

BREWING GUIDE 

Notes of juicy tangerine and black forest fruits come together to complement a dark brown sugar sweetness – and all these flavours shine brightest on pour over. Try a brew ratio of 1 part coffee to 17 parts water to highlight its elegant acidity, using fresh filtered water right off boil. For more brewing tips and tricks, visit our Brew Guides.