New Single Origin Coffee: Colombia Cauca

Brought to Equator Coffee Roasters from the remote, highland regions of Cauca, Colombia is our new single origin coffee: Colombia Cauca. It will be available for purchase in-stores and online from April 4th until about May 2nd.

History Of The Asociacion Kwe'sx Uma Kiwe Peykajn Mjinxisa Fondo Paez

The Asociacion Kwe'sx Uma Kiwe Peykajn Mjinxisa Fondo Paez, or Fondo Paez, is the cooperative representing Colombia’s largest indigenous group: Paez, or Nasa as they refer to themselves, meaning “the people.” This cooperative was founded in 1992 with the primary objective of recovering its buried indigenous culture and traditional agricultural expertise following centuries of oppression and conflict. (1)

With coffee being the region’s most profitable crop, Fondo Paez initiated a cooperative of community-based coffee farmer associations to provide stable sources of income for its members. Eight years later, they achieved a sufficient level of self-organization to sell coffee via the Coffee Federation’s Specialty Coffee program, and at the time of this writing they process, market, and export coffee through ExpoCosurca’s regional plant while remaining independent, active members of the fair trade community. With their internal democratic decision-making, their daily tasks are split amongst member-led external marketing, internal credit, organizational, and production committees, and the producer board of directors.

Fondo Paez prioritizes coffee quality control with their dedication to the craft especially evident in the pre-harvest season. During this time, promoters make the rounds to every member to go over the latest production yields as well as the finest handling, picking, and wet processing practices to be best equipped for the harvest that typically runs in most of their growing regions from early June to late August.

Unfortunately, climate change has only worsened the harvests for Fondo Paez farmers with heat waves, unseasonable rains, and a coffee leaf rust infestation about four years ago that is only now allowing its members to come back with normal production yields. In the meantime, many farmer families have had to resort to other products and crops to supplement their lower coffee sales while still tending to their coffee field production recovery renovations, like an assortment of root vegetables, beans, corn, cow’s milk and cheese, potatoes, and panela manufacturing, which is a sugarcane cane bi-product.

Cooperative Coffees partnered with Fondo Paez in 2004 and has since purchased over 2 million pounds of their coffee to import. To this day, Cooperative Coffees continues to check in and support Fondo Paez’s development via frequent communication, site visits, and by providing staff and roaster assistance.

From the past four decades of armed conflict in the region to the Spanish conquest centuries ago, Fondo Paez and its people’s efforts are truly an inspiration as they have still managed to curate a sustainable vision for their communities despite the ongoing struggle for their land, lives, and livelihoods.

Tasting Notes And Flavors

The Colombia Cauca is a specialty-grade, certified organic, washed process medium roast coffee (our roast level 4) that was grown at an altitude of 1509 to 2260 m. It features an impressive cupping score of 85.5 and has a full-bodied silkiness with a dazzling combination of tasting notes, including a bright orange acidity plus the comforting flavor of graham crackers and the crowd-pleasing aroma of vanilla.

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