Speciality Coffee

Women in Coffee

 Women in Coffee

Gaitania - a village nestled in a wild and beautiful valley in southern Tolima, Colombia. From Bogota it takes 11 hours in a small bus, crowded with people, chickens and dogs. And it’s worth it.

At the end of this journey, about a week ago, we met with the winner of Colombia’s 2015 Cup of Excellence competition, Astrid Medina Pereira, plus a whole host of other cafeteros (coffee growers) living in the area.

Caldas, Carlos and the Don

Caldas, Carlos and the Don

The bus from Pereira to Manizales broke down. Then the bus from Manizales to Neira broke down. We were deep in Colombia’s interior coffee country and moving very, very slowly.

Eventually we made it to Neira, a small village in Colombia’s Caldas province, well off the beaten tourist trail that centers on Salento, further south. Neira is also home to Carlos, the mysterious man who had mistaken us for coffee buyers at the Medellin coffee fair some weeks earlier.