Caturra is one of our favorite varieties, and it has become increasingly challenging to grow. Over the next few years, we plan to continue investing in producers like Ernedis who also have a special place in their hearts for this variety. In the cup we taste cooked strawberry, pear, and lemon verbena.
Caturra
Gigante, Huila
1,840 masl
August, 2023
Hand-picked at peak ripeness. Floated to further remove defects and de-pulped on the day of harvest. Fermented in-cherry for 24 hours. Dry fermented for 36 hours. Dried in parabolic dryers for 18-25 days.
ABOUT ERNEDIS RODRIGUEZ
We have been working with this producer on and off for several years. Ernedis is an extremely unique producer, and rarely have we seen someone invest more in their farm and infrastructure than at El Paraiso. Ernedis has been exclusively dedicated to quality for the last decade, and has received higher prices for his coffee year after year as a result. He can now hire more workers to harvest and fertilize while he dedicates most of his time to processing and drying.
ABOUT CATURRA
Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. It was discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil sometime between 1915 and 1918. Today, it is one of the most economically important coffees in Central America, to the extent that it is often used as a benchmark against which new cultivars are tested. In Colombia, Caturra was thought to represent nearly half of the country’s production before a government-sponsored program beginning in 2008 incentivized renovation of over three billion coffee trees with the leaf rust resistant Castillo variety (which has Caturra parentage).
Pricing Details
Farm Gate (Local; Green)
3.5MM COP/Carga
Farm Gate (USD; Green)
~$8.98/KG
FOB
$10.92/KG
FOT
$13.12/KG
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.