COLOMBIA | FINCA LA CANDELA - ANAEROBIC AND AEROBIC NATURAL

Story of Finca La Candela

Finca La Candela belongs to the Lotero Cano Family. A third generation of coffee farmers living in La Loma Del Guamo village in Titiribí town in Antioquia .

Alberto Lotero, the father, bought a significant portion of the farm eight years ago from another coffee farmer and neighbor named Luis Rios. Alberto and his family owned some lots already, but most of the farm was acquired then.

The farm has always been called La Candela. The previous owner gave it that name, and Alberto and his family never changed it. There are currently 10.000 trees on the plantation, but this family started with 4.000. All threes are 100% Arabica Castillo varietal.

Alberto Lotero and Gloria Cano met in 1985. Today they are a family of five. They have two daughters, Yuliana and Fernanda, and an older son named Andrés, who works in the fields daily with his father. The Lotero family is a clear example of a traditional coffee-producing family in Colombia. They are hare working and family oriented with strong values and principles.

During harvest, the Lotero Cano family walks the fields daily, picking only the ripe cherries. All cherries do not ripen simultaneously, so passing by the same tree several times during harvest is necessary. At the end of the day, Alberto, his wife, and his son float and sort the cherries to remove all the unripe or bad ones. They pack the cherries inside grainpro bag and seal them completely to prevent access to oxygen and let them ferment in the shade for two full days before putting them in the evening on the raised beds, where they continue to ferment without sun for 12 hours. After this, the cherries will start drying, and Gloria turns them often daily to ensure an even drying.

In addition to the coffee, Alberto also plants plantain and banana trees to provide shade for the coffee plantation and get an additional source of income for the family during the off-harvest season.