where
Togoima Reservation, Tierradentro, Cauca
Nestled high into a valley of the South Western Andes mountains is El Pedregal. The farm makes up a part of the Togoima Reservation of the Nasa Indigenous of Tierradentro, Cauca. Doña Ana and Don Isidro have been producing coffee here since 2017, after a brief period raising cattle. The farm has a clear view almost all the way down the valley, with a view of the mighty Paez river never far away. The 1.5 hectare farm is almost forest-like due to its abundant shade trees, and a rich biodiversity reigns over this organic farm, as well as the others in the community.
Who
Doña Ana & Don Isidro
The Liz-Andela family are as much pillars of their community as they are of LULO.
In addition to providing coffees from their own farm, they also manage many relationships in their community, purchasing coffee in parchment for the Nasa Community blend.
Both as humble as they are inspiring, their natural way of farming and processing effortlessly shows itself in the cup.
what
Innovation Rooted In the Traditional
Coffees from the Nasa Indigenous community are special, and Finca El Pedregal are no exception.
It could be the organic-by-tradition setting, or the way the go-to semiwashed process hasn't changed in years, or perhaps the aerobic natural processing in some cases, but somehow, every coffee I've received from the Liz-Andela family has been nothing short of stunning.
While tradition has dominated the area for decades, the Liz-Andelas have begun the journey to modernize their farm in order to add further consistency to their experimental lots and begin buying coffee cherry from their neighbours.
Whether it's semiwashed or natural, bourbon or tabi, the coffees from here are incredibly sweet and complex.
why
El Pedregal x Native Root x LULO
I met Ervin Liz (not pictured), son of Isidro and Ana, at a public cupping in a mall in Bogota in 2017, when I visited Colombia for the first time.
We kept in touch over the years and when I was just getting the LULO idea onto paper, I reached out to him about potentially exporting a small amount of coffee to Canada. He agreed, and shortly after I had 15kg of his parents Caturra.
Ervin exports and roasts coffee from his community under the Native Root banner, driving the idea to work with all 125 families in their Vereda (neighbourhood).
With Ervin's help, I am now importing coffee from their community by the tonne and just stoked to be working with such amazing people.
