Country of Origin: Colombia
Region: Valle del Cauca
Producer: Cafe de la Esperanza (CGLE)
Region Overview: Valle del Cauca is located in southwestern Colombia, adjacent to Cauca, where Popayán is located. The Caicedonia region is in the southeast of Valle del Cauca, and the Trujillo region is in the north. Both are part of the Andes Mountains, at altitudes of 1,400 to 2,000 meters above sea level, with warm and humid climates and large diurnal temperature differences, making them ideal for coffee cultivation. By adopting a climate suitable for coffee cultivation, a wide variety of cultivars, and unique processing methods, globally renowned coffees are produced.
In addition to being a coffee producing region, the department also has the Port of Buenaventura along its coast, playing an important role as a port for exporting coffee from the central region.
Processing Method: Natural
Moisture Content: 10.6%
Defect Rate: 1.4% (4.2g/300g)
Bean Color: Yellowish
Screen Size: Sc16 and above: 79.0%, Sc15: 13.4%, Sc14: 6.0%, Less than Sc14: 1.6%
Flavor Notes: strawberry, strawberry jam, chocolate
The Untold Story of the Birth of Café Granja La Esperanza (CGLE)
Café Granja La Esperanza, now a famous farm representing Colombia, is also known by its acronym CGLE. Its foundation was laid by the married couple Juan Antonio and Blanca Ligia. The two were entrusted with the management of the Potosí farm in Colombia.
In 1945, Juan decided to introduce Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, and Caturra in addition to the existing Typica varieties. This led to what is now Café Granja La Esperanza (hereinafter referred to as CGLE).
The couple had 14 children, forming a traditional large Colombian family, which was common at the time. As the farm required a lot of labor, the children also helped out, and the entire family worked together to build up the farm.
CGLE, which spread the Geisha variety in Colombia
Over many years, the farm gradually increased its productivity, and among the children, Rigoberto and Luis were particularly interested in coffee cultivation and processing methods. In addition to the Potosí farm, they acquired farmland in the Trujillo region, named it "La Esperanza Farm," and began to expand organic farming. In 2007, Rigoberto was entrusted with the operation of a coffee farm called "La Carleida" in the Boquete region of Panama. The following year, he won first place in the "Best Coffee of Panama" competition hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama. Following this success, Rigoberto brought Geisha coffee seeds back to Colombia, opening a new era in CGLE's history.
CGLE currently operates on approximately 150 hectares across four farms: Potosí, the original site, La Esperanza, Las Margaritas, and Cerro Azul. Approximately 20% of the farms are designated as nature reserves, and the diverse environment, home to 26 species of birds, fosters coffee cultivation. CGLE specializes in the production and sale of specialty coffees, handling diverse varieties such as Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Pacamara, Sudan Rume, Laurina, Sidra, Java, Moka, Colombia, and Caturra, and is undertaking the significant challenge of adapting new varieties to the soil and climate of Colombia. They also experiment with processing methods tailored to each variety and respond to requests from buyers worldwide. Dedicated teams are in place for quality control, processing, and delivery, ensuring thorough management. Furthermore, even with the increasing difficulty of humidity control due to climate change, they are renovating warehouses and constructing dry mills to create an optimal environment and establish a stable export system. CGLE continues to strive for quality improvement to remain a step ahead in the global specialty coffee market.
CGLE FOR ALL: Community Program
CGLE's reputation for advanced cultivation and processing techniques spread to other departments, attracting high-quality coffee beans produced in various regions. They handle these coffees under the name "CGLE FOR ALL: Community Program."
Many of their partner farmers cultivate coffee within nature reserves, so they also contribute to nature conservation by conducting environmental education. Furthermore, as many of these areas are experiencing depopulation, CGLE is also committed to social activities such as creating employment through the coffee industry, donating school supplies to local schools, and organizing Christmas events for children. In addition, they support the livelihoods of participating producer cooperatives and help improve their living standards by paying them an incentive of 25% or more on top of the purchase price.
