Martha Lucia
Martha Lucia began producing coffee when she was a child in Cauca, like the generations of their family before her. As a certified Q-Grader, she applies 22 years of experience to producing her coffee.
In 1997, she became more interested in specialty coffee because she saw that other farmers found specialty buyers who exported their coffee. She sought training with organizations in her region, focusing on washed coffee processing.
Although in great abundance, water scarcity is an issue for farmers in her community, given that each household draws from the same water source during the harvest. Martha Lucia researched African drying methods and learned about natural processing to avoid water scarcity during the harvest, receiving higher pay for better quality. “People thought I was crazy to process natural coffee because no one would buy it,” says Martha Lucia. After all, the market there was small for that kind of coffee.
Her coffee is a product of years of trial and error while staying abreast with tendencies in the market. During the drying phase, the coffee is packed into GrainPro bags for 2 - 10 days, depending on weather conditions. This “interruption in the drying process develops more body and sweetness, resulting in notes of wine and raisins.
Department: Cauca
Varietal: Tabi and Castillo
Altitude: 1760 MASL
Process: Natural
Shade Trees: Guamo, avocado, and plantain
