La Esperanza is one of four farms that are part of a family business that is now run by four brothers who were born and raised in the mountains of Quindío. Their father had migrated to this area decades ago, where he acquired land for the cultivation of coffee. For more than 40 years the family lived from the production of coffee and the parents left their 14 children with several farms in the region.

Jairo López Agudelo, a civil engineer by profession, gave up a successful career to dedicate himself to his passion, the cultivation of coffee: About ten years ago, Don Jairo took over the family business along with his brothers Edilberto, Jorge and Cesar. They made the decision to turn the existing business into a specialty coffee operation, planting new varieties such as Geisha, Java, Mocca, Bourbon and Castillo and improving processes. Together, they formed LACIA: the López Agudelo y Cia Limitada. As Jairo and his brothers have followed the legacy of their parents, so are some of their children. One of Jairo's nephews has taken on more responsibility and is in charge of the different processes now.

Finca La Esperanza is located in the municipality of Pijao, also known as the Quindío mountain range. In this area that offers excellent conditions for the cultivation of coffee, there are close to 40'000 trees on a farm area of almost 14 hectares. The coffee trees are planted next to other crops such as citrus, banana, plantain and flowers, which increases biodiversity and provides shade for the coffee trees. Ensuring that they do not plant trees too close to each other, the trees are able to express themselves and have enough space to develop and grow in optimal conditions.

On La Esperanza, coffee trees of different age are cultivated, which helps them to have a more steady harvest and through pruning, they shape the trees in a way that allows the family to harvest almost all year round. Jairo says that their objective is to diversify their portfolio to include more coffee varieties, all the while maintaining full traceability and respecting the environmental requirements of the different varieties. Each of LACIA's four farms in the mountain range employs around 20 people, creating jobs in an area where it is not always easy to find work. Working with environment-friendly practices is essential to the family. They are well aware how they are affected first-hand by climate change, thus putting emphasis on reducing the use of chemicals, providing shade to the coffee trees and pruning them. In addition to the land they cultivate, La Esperanza also includes five hectares of land which is fully covered by forests.

After the harvest, the coffee cherries are immediately put into sealed plastic bags in order for the fermentation process to start right away. The next morning, the cherries are removed from the bags and, using a machine that Jairo designed himself, cherries with lower density or defects are sorted out. After this first, mechanical sorting, the cherries are sorted by hand and separated into three different categories depending on their ripeness. While the cherries that are not perfectly ripe yet will undergo a longer fermentation and be used for washed and honey-processed lots, only the perfectly ripe cherries are used for naturals. These are put into sealed plastic tanks for four days of carbonic maceration. Besides constantly monitoring the pH value during this time, they make sure the temperature does not climb above 24°C. According to LACIA, a cool and controlled fermentation is key in order to maintain the floral notes of the coffee. The last step is a controlled drying on raised beds to reach a moisture content of 10.5-11.5%. For the most part, this takes place in a greenhouse, where temperature and airflow are being monitored, before the beans are moved into the open sun to finish the drying process.

This geisha is another coffee we have bought with the support of Cata Café Export, who foster a good relationship with the Lopez family and who exported this coffee for us.

This coffee is incredibly elegant and offers multiple layers of flavors. With each sip, you discover new aromas. We find lots of citrus notes, especially of oranges, paired well with florals, along with some ripe red berry as well as elderflower notes. A complex and beautiful coffee for special occasions – or just to treat yourself.