Juan Pablo Colombia Farmer & Coffee Intro

The taste is chocolaty and sweet with a hint of apple - and a unique story: Juan Pablo is the second-born son of the Argote family and grew up in the village of Genova among coffee plants. He managed to build the entire value chain within his coffee production. For us it is fascinating to see how a man with a great vision and absolute integrity manages to lead a whole village, his big family with its independent small plantations and also friendly families to economic success and independence.

THE COUNTRY

Colombia is known for its good coffee, but this is the first specialty coffee to come from the village of Genova in Nariño. For a coffee plantation, Genova is unusually high in the mountains (1,950 - 2,000 meters above sea level), but warm winds from the valleys protect it from too much cold and alternate with cold breezes from the south. Thus, temperatures fluctuate between 7° and 30°C. The coffee plants adapt to these fluctuations by producing more sugar. This in turn has a direct effect on the acidity of the coffee and gives Juan Pablo's coffee a unique taste. These natural conditions are ideal for growing coffee and provide the balanced acidity and intense flavors of this wonderful specialty coffee.

THE FARMER

Juan Pablo is the second-born son of the Argote family and basicly grew up among coffee plants in the village of Colón Genova. Coffee has been grown here for over 100 years, but Juan Pablo realized that he could raise the quality of his coffee beans to a higher level and export them directly ... if only he had the necessary contacts. In 2015, he began actively building the direct export business. In 2017, he traveled to Holland to further his education. Today, the Argote family is experimenting with agroforestry techniques, such as using organic fertilizer from leftover produce and planting targeted bamboo trees to provide shade for a new plant nursery.

Quote from Juan Pablo Lasso Argote of Colón Genova, Colombia:
"It is not my goal to become rich, but I want to share the profit we achieve through our quality with as many growers as possible. I dream that one day all growers in Genova will participate in exports and deliver a unique standard of quality."

For us, it is fascinating to see how a man with a great vision and absolute integrity manages to lead an entire village, his large family with its independent small plantations, and also friendly families to economic success and independence. Juan Pablo speaks Spanish, English and French and is constantly looking for change and improvement to take his specialty coffee to an even higher level and improve the quality of life in the region. For this reason, he has built his own education center for coffee growers, where he shares his knowledge.

THE PRODUCTION

The coffee cherries on Juan Pablo's farm are picked exclusively by hand and processed directly after harvest. He uses various processing methods on his farm to add special flavor components to his coffee.

The method most commonly used here is the "fully washed" method. Unlike other methods, it limits the fermentation process to what is necessary, allowing the coffee to retain its most authentic flavor. The beans are shelled with the help of a machine with the addition of water and then stored in tanks for 18 to 24 hours. In the next step, to remove the mucilage (slimy coat) to stop fermentation, the beans are carefully washed under clear mountain water. During the washing process, floaters are repeatedly sorted out. Floaters are on the water, floating coffee beans. Afterwards, the coffee is dried on concrete surfaces and higher placed, shaded "drawers". This saves space, provides protection from the direct sun and allows the air to circulate well.

For four passes, the beans are extensively sorted by hand before being packed directly for shipment at the Argote family farm. The fact that the entire value chain up to direct export is in the hands of the coffee farmers themselves is extremely rare and very positive. Not only do they retain complete control over quality, but they can also earn a higher profit and maintain labor.

ALL THE WAY TO YOU

1. Farm
   Juan Pablo Lasso Argote & Familie
2. Drying & Sorting
   Juan Pablo Lasso Argote & Familie
3. Processing & Export
   Juan Pablo Lasso Argote & Familie
4. Transport
   Mediterranean Shipping Company
5. Import
   farmersvaluefirst in cooperation with TSU trade
6. Röstereien
   farmersvaluefirst in cooperation with selected craft roasters in Holland & Germany (craft roast)
7. Distribution
   farmersvaluefirst

OVERVIEW

• Taste: An intense chocolaty taste with delicate apple notes ... that's what makes this high quality Colombian specialty coffee.
• Varieties: 100% Arabica (Castillo, Caturra, Catuaí)
• Production processes: "washed" hand-picked, fermented for 6-24 hours, hulled and washed under clear mountain water and laid out to dry in sun beds. "Natural" hand-picked, dried in coffee cherry husk under even turning on concrete and sun beds.
• Price that the Argote family receives from us: on average 150% above the world market price. Juan Pablo Argote uses the extra margin to invest in education facilities and improving production processes.
• SCA Rating: the coffee "Juan Pablo" has received at least a proud 85 points out of a possible 100 in the SCA rating, depending on the harvest.

SCA levels

• 80 - 84.99 points: very good
• 85 - 89.99 points: excellent »Juan Pablo«
• 90 - 100 points: outstanding (less than 1% of the coffees harvested worldwide receive this rank!) Read more here: SCA - Coffee Standards