Albaney Fajardo has been a coffee producer for around 15 years. Together with her husband, she operates Finca Renacer, a 2ha farm in the community of Albania in the municipality of La Argentina, Huila.

Albaney is passionate about working with coffee because it has brought tranquility to her life. Alongside her husband, she also works on beekeeping, harvesting honey twice a year and considering them her friends on the farm. Additionally, Alba Ney operates her small sewing workshop where she spends her days working and weaving her dreams during the coffee off-season.

The Process

This coffee is fully washed with an extended fermentation period after pulping. Coffee is harvested by Albaney and her husband and processed immediately on the same day. After pulping the coffee is fermented for an average of 64 hours and then thoroughly washed. 

The coffee is dried in the sun on raised beds for 14-20 days. Albaney checks a few parchment beans, rubbing them between her hands to reveal the green beans underneath. She assesses their color and decides when to conclude the process. Afterwards, the coffee is tested in the lab to ensure the humidity level meets standards. With precision, she identifies the exact moment to finish the drying process, demonstrating her expertise in this crucial stage.

History of Coffee in Colombia

As with many coffee origins, it is believed that coffee was first brought to Colombia by priests, arriving, perhaps, within a decade or two after coffee first came to the Americas via the Caribbean in the first half of the 17th century. It was likely a garden crop grown for local consumption and barter for decades. Unlike other coffee regions, we have the story of a priest named Francisco Romero, who could be called the father of commercial coffee cultivation in Colombia. The folkloric tale goes that in the early 1800’s, Father Francisco, hearing confessions in the north eastern town of Salazar de la Palmas, assigned planting coffee to his parishioners as penance for their sins. The Archbishop of Colombia heard about this and ordered all priests to adopt the practice. Commercial production of coffee expanded quickly, moving into regions where the growing conditions were ideal.