San Lorenzo

The producer

In the 1950s, in the municipality of Riosucio Caldas, as in all Colombian coffee-producing municipalities, coffee farmers were dissatisfied with the exploitation they suffered at the hands of intermediary grain buyers. It was then that a group of coffee farmers, guided by the Cooperative Development Department of the Caldas Departmental Coffee Committee, called 255 farmers to the Constituent Assembly, which was held at the warehouses of the National Federation of Coffee Growers in Riosucio at 10:30 a.m. on June 29, 1963. Founding members included coffee farmers of different social, cultural, and religious backgrounds, some of whom led activities for the benefit of the cooperative.

On March 4, 1964, the Coffee Farmers' Cooperative began providing direct services in Riosucio, including coffee purchase, credit section, and agricultural provision.

Today, it has 2,635 members distributed across 171 villages located in the Department of Caldas in the municipalities of Riosucio, Supia, Marmato, and Quinchía in the Department of Risaralda. The staff consists of 64 employees who work with commitment and dedication to provide appropriate service to all members at the seven purchase points.

The Cooperative is an associative, non-profit, multi-active, limited liability company with a variable and unlimited number of members and social capital, and indefinite duration. It operates under the control of the National Superintendency of Solidarity Economy, and its main office is located in the municipality of Riosucio (Caldas).

Its objective is to efficiently distribute goods or services jointly to meet the needs of its members and the community in general.

The coffee

During harvest season, families and neighbours pick ripe cherries to be sent to the wet mill, where they are floated to remove dirt and any unripe cherries. They go through the pulping and sorting machine before being transferred to fermentation tanks and held for 16-24 hours to remove the mucilage. The coffee is then washed before being spread out on small drying patios, usually on the roofs of houses, to dry. The beans are rotated regularly to ensure drying is even. When the desired moisture level is reached, it is delivered to the cooperative, assessed, dry milled, and prepared for shipment.