ANEI Women’s Coffee
In the rich northern reaches of Colombia, there are the regions of Serranía del Perijá and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, home to a collection of indigenous communities producing excellent coffee. It is here that the towns of Agustin Codazzi, Pueblo Bello, and Valledupar stand, filled with hard-working women, growing coffee in the high altitudes of this rugged terrain.
These women belong to ANEI, an organization dedicated to collecting coffee from these amazing women and exporting it to countries throughout the world. This lot is a conglomeration of 700 female producers from the four indigenous communities of Arhuacos, Koguis, Kankuamos and Wiwas. The organization was founded in 1995 by Aurora María Izquierd, an Arhuaca indigenous woman from the Yewrwa community of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. ANEI means ‘delicious’ in her native IKU language. She had a dream to unite these women, to improve their income, while also maintaining environmentally friendly agricultural practices to preserve the beautiful ecosystems within these communities.
- Farm ANEI Women's Coffee
- Varietal Bourbon, Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica
- Process Fully washed
- Altitude 1,400 to 2,000 metres above sea level
- Town / City Agustin Codazzi / Pueblo Bello / Valledupar
- Region Serranía del Perijá / Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
- Owner 700 smallholder producers
- Tasting Notes Caramel, Cherry, Apricot
- Farm Size Less than 5 hectares on average
Colombia is the third largest coffee-producing country in the world, and thanks to its vast array of unique microclimate, are able to have harvests throughout the year.
Commercial coffee cultivation began in the mid-1830s and spread so rapidly that throughout the twentieth century coffee already became the country’s leading export. A mountainous topography and many tropical micro-climates contribute greatly to Colombia’s reputation for ideal growing conditions, which – in turn – have helped Colombia establish itself as a recognisable origin around the world.
The diversity of coffee and profiles found across Colombia is enormous and coffee is harvested practically year-round depending on the region. The main harvest takes place from October to February with November and December being the peak months. There is also a second fly (or ‘mitaca’) crop several months later, again varying by region and microclimate.