Ramiro Tulcan
My story begins after a difficult situation in our village (Aponte). Approximately ten years ago, our village started to sink due to a geological fault and my family and I were left without a place to live because my house was literally swallowed by the earth and we had to leave it with empty pockets. I borrowed money to grow coffee. A friend of mine advised me to plant the poppies because they give double the profit and I made the wrong decision and it turned out very badly in the poppy crop, I lost everything except the 800,000 pesos I had left, I didn’t hesitate and planted coffee. Since then, my daughter, my wife and I have had the most wonderful times, because planting coffee has brought good and not evil, peace and not war, prosperity and not poverty, and we are absolutely convinced that we will get better.
The story began ten years ago and the first planting consisted of 3,800 trees. Gradually, we have developed this coffee family and this is mainly thanks to the people and the environment around them.
Ramiro says: „The best thing is that over the years we have met people who know more about coffee and have given us good advice on how to improve in all the practices. Our farm is perched high up in the mountains, so it’s a drier and cooler climate, which is more optimal for aging, and this is reflected in each of the coffees we grow and offer.“
About the coffee
Coffee from the Nariño region has been attracting us for several years. We can say that since the beginning of Chicas (2019). Thanks to our collaboration with William and Julian Ortiz, we got our hands on these great lots from Nariño. The coffees from this area are different, characterized by their full body and a kind of umami taste, the coffee lacks absolutely nothing, it is full-bodied, sweet, fruity. The beans are smaller and harder due to the higher altitude where it grows and matures.
Coffee cherries are harvested only when ripe. They are then left to oxidise in a hopper in a wet mill for 2 days, then ground in this small mill and left to ferment for a further 2 days before being washed and dried on african bads.