Juan Saldarriaga manages 2 farms, La Claudina and El Encanto. La Claudina spans around 60 hectares, with around 18 dedicated to growing coffee. The rest is preserved as natural forest. He took on the farms in 2012, and set to work planting a diverse range of cultivars to ascertain which varietals flourish on his land. His willingness to adapt and improve is always at the heart of his work.
La Claudina is located at 1400-1800 masl in the steep hills of Antioquia. Cherries are harvested by hand, and trees are stripped after a single harvest, sacrificing quantity to ensure quality going forward. The cherries designated for natural processing undergo meticulous hand sorting before being floated for density and fermented for 48 hours. Drying takes between 20 and 30 days in ‘cold driers’, at 25-30 degrees celsius.
Seasonal buying is about seeing coffee as a crop not a commodity, buying in harmony with the growing seasons to enjoy coffee at its best. This kind of buying has always been the backbone of our business and it’s something we’ve improved and refined every year.
