Finca Morritos, Robeiro de Jesus Rodriguez - Colombia

Located high in Antioquia’s sub municipality of Giraldo, sits Robeiro de Jesus Rodriguez Berrio’s farm, Finca Morritos.
1 of 900 farms in this mountainous region, Robeiro’s has stood out from the crowd after one of his 2020 lots became
a finalist in the Colombia Coffee Growers Federation’s (FNC) ‘Tierra de Diversidad’ or ‘Land of Diversity’ competition.

With over 130,000 hectares planted in coffee and producing more than 1.8 million bags per year, the Department of
Antioquia produces nearly 15% of Colombia’s total coffee production. Over 90,000 families in the region count on
coffee as their main source of income, most of whom are smallholder producers having grown coffee for 3 or 4
generations.

Close to the Department's former Capital, Santa Fe de Antioquia sits the hot and humid township of Giraldo. Unlike
the town below, the farms that lie in the surrounding villages benefit from high altitudes and cool temperatures, helping
produce some truly spectacular coffees. An average size farm in the region likely covers a single hectare (or some
6,000 trees); meaning producers have no choice but to focus on quality, not quantity, to turn a profit. Families in the
department, however, have typically struggled to gain access to the specialty market. Heavy presence from far-left
FARC guerrilla groups had historically prevented the FNC and speciality-focused exporters from establishing a
presence in the region. However, in the last 7 years, Antioquia’s government has been making great strides to both
improve the quality of the coffee produced in the region and to promote the consumption of specialty coffee in
Colombia.

Antioquia’s Best Cup contest is an example of one such activity. Similar to competitions such as the Cup of Excellence,
the FNC’s Land of Diversity Competition helps to promote producers from across Colombia. In the 2020 edition, the
FNC scored 1610 applicants, with Robeiro’s farm, Finca Morritos, placing in the top 30.

Like many in the region, coffee production has been part of Robeiro’s family for generations; with both Robeiro’s
parents and both sets of grandparents previously managing their own farms. Having learnt techniques handed down
through generations; Robeiro is passionate about producing high-quality coffee. So much so, Robeiro is well
recognised in the region as a great example of a small and humble producer, that with hard work and dedication, has
been able to produce consistent specialty coffee. Today, Robeiro resides at Finca Morritos with his wife, daughter and
two sons (pictured).

Located at 2100 meters above sea level, Finca Morritos boasts a larger than average expanse of 8 hectares in size.
Here, Robeiro produces 7 hectares of coffee, including varieties Caturra, Castillo and Colombia, as well as other
products such as bananas and plantain. For processing, Robeiro begins by selectively hand picking his crop, only
selecting the ripest cherries. Once collected, Robeiro sorts the cherries by hand to remove any under or overripe
cherries, as well as foreign materials such as sticks and stones. Next, Robeiro floats the cherries in buckets of cool
clean water to remove further defects. Once clean, Robeiro pulps his cherry using his hand pulper (also pictured),
before placing the coffee into buckets to ferment. Here the coffee will remain for 36 hours, before removing and
washing the beans of their mucilage. Once cleaned, Robeiro moves the coffee to his marquesina (greenhouse) to dry.
Here the coffee will remain for 8 days, or until the coffee has reached a suitable moisture content. Once complete,
Robeiro’s coffee is collected by his Coop partner, Cooperativa de Caficultores de Occidente de Antioquia, to be
milled and prepped for export.