Colombia Buesaco Maricela Ordoñez

While we've not visited Maricela Ordoñez, her farm is located in Vereda Alto Naranjal just outside Buesaco town, in Colombia's Nariño Department. We've bought her coffee several times, but usually she has so few bags available that it winds up up in our community blends. This lot is still just 9 bags, but we knew the quality deserved to be showcased on its own. Farms in Alto Naranjal average around 1800 to 1900 meters above sea level, and the varieties you see growing are typically Caturra and Colombia, along with smaller pockets of Bourbon and Typica. The local coffee association that this was purchased through was started by two brothers who stepped out on their own to offer a more direct and transparent option than some of the local competitors. Unlike a cooperative, associations don't require farmers to become members in order to sell their coffee. However some associations, like this one, register all of the farmers they buy from affording them (and us) a level of transparency that you would expect from a coop, like tracking coffee deliveries and farm gate payments.